


Epoch Dawn

by Eileithyia_ya



Category: One Piece
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-03-16 01:09:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 44,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3468812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eileithyia_ya/pseuds/Eileithyia_ya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's always darkest before the dawn, when your world is weary, and all is dark, when dreams die and fade away, and all of life is stark ... </p>
<p>Nami becomes lost in time, and is tormented by her past. Is there really such a thing as choice, or are our destinies already decided? Set after Dressrosa. This is a slow burner, with Eventual LawNa, and is quite dark and violent. Rating will go up to E.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Infelicity: Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece

“Another step.” Nami said as raised a large piece of parchment up in front of her eyes. Of course, it wasn't just parchment anymore. Now, it was a wonderfully detailed cartograph. A nautical, and topographical map of Wano Country, that had taken her seventeen days to complete, which was a feat given the elevation in some areas of the island.

The sun's rays were streaming through the library's windows, warming the room, and causing her map to glow brilliantly in front of her. A calming sense of satisfaction spread throughout the navigator as she examined her work, her smile growing as she admired every contour line that stood out vividly against its bright backdrop.

She spared a glance at the photograph on her desk, as Nami always did when she completed a map. It was her way of showing Bellmere what she had accomplished, and every time she did, Nami always heard her mothers voice. 'It's amazing, Nami. I guess the map you drew today of this island is just one step towards your dream.' She giggled happily as she recalled Bellmere's words, then shifted her eyes back up to the newly drawn cartograph.

As Nami stared up at her map, her delight soon turned to dread as all the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and the unnerving feeling crept over her that she was being watched. She was afraid of what she might see, but turned her head anyway, hoping to find Nico Robin, or Trafalgar Law who liked to transport himself about their ship without warning, but there was no one there.

Her heart started to race as she turned her head back around and the bright library suddenly dulled. All its warmth seemed to quickly drain from the room, freezing Nami to her chair. 'Not again.' She thought as a shiver crept up her spine, prickling her skin as it travelled along her limbs, and causing her hands to shake. Suddenly, she was back at Arlong Park.

Nami's stomach clenched tightly. A sensation that made her feel that she could be sick at any moment, and her mouth quickly flooded with saliva to confirm that feeling. She could see dozens of maps pegged to Hachi's fishing wire, strung in rows like washing lines above her head. Anger and doubt boiled up inside her. She wanted to get up, to tear them all down, but her legs felt numb and heavy. Her trembling fingers made it difficult to grip, and she dropped the map she was proudly holding as she looked around the room.

The Strawhat's navigator wouldn't have been so afraid if it wasn't for the vivid nightmares she'd been having since leaving Wano Country. She was plagued by memories of her early years of being a pirate, forced to relive the days when she was constantly threatened and chased, always on edge and looking over her shoulder. More recently, she began to awake with the bruises she endured in her dreams, and somehow, slowly over the last couple of weeks, those dreams had found there way into her waking life. They burned at the thread of happiness that stitched her together, making her feel that she was slowly falling apart.

As the book cases framing the window in front of her changed shape, Nami placed a hand on her nauseated stomach, and one on her chest to try and steady her breathing. They appeared to be the exact same ones that were in that dreaded cartography room that she hated so much - her prison, at Arlong Park. “This can't be.” She faltered. Her words were a breath above a whisper, not wanting to give away her position, and alert the Fishmen to her presence.

Bit by bit, the rest of the room morphed into the one from her memory. “No!” She fretted as she pushed away from the desk. She couldn't go through all that again.

Through the well of tears that clung to her lash line eyes, Nami spotted piles of maps encircling the room. “They're not real.” She assured herself, wiping away the moister that was possibly obscuring her vision. It was the green bench, she knew it was, she wasn't back there. There was no way she could be. Luffy destroyed Arlong Park. She had seen its ruins with her own eyes.

“Nami-san?” A familiar voice called to her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

Nami quickly shoved the hand from off her shoulder, half expecting to see Arlong standing before her, sneering down at her. She jerked herself around so fast that she fell off her chair, and crashed to the floor.

“Are you alright?” Nico Robin asked her. The alarmed tone of her friend's voice and the woman's worried expression, it warmed Nami, helping her to remember the present and not her bitter past.

It felt as though someone had switched the sun back on, and light, heat and colour soon filled the room again, thawing Nami from her chilling daydream, and bringing her attention to her true surroundings.

Nami realised then that she was practically hyperventilating. “Yes.” She whispered through panted breaths, lifting her hands to cover her mouth. She was on board the Thousand Sunny, there were no maps above her head, or stacks around the room, just the curved green benches, like she knew deep down they always were.

“Shall I call Chopper-san?” Robin asked as she leant down to help Nami off the floor.

Nami cast her cast eyes up at the historian to see that her face was riddled with worry, more so than a moment ago. “I'm fine.” Nami assured her as she got to her feet with out aid. “Did you want something?” The navigator asked, ensuring her rainbow bikini was still in place, as if nothing was wrong.

Robin regarded her for a moment before she spoke. The woman possessed some keen senses, and was obviously trying to work out what the matter was. “There's some dark clouds on the horizon. Trafalgar-san asked if you wouldn't mind taking a look.” She eventually spoke.

“I'll be there in a minute.” Nami said, picking her map up off the floor. She watched Robin out of the corner of her eye as she bend down, taking note of how the older woman's eyes did not leave her. “I'm fine. Really.” She assured her as she took a seat at her desk.

Nico Robin nodded her head, then slowly made her way to the door. Nami could sense the historian's eyes on her, regularly glancing back at her as she was leaving, checking to see if she was really okay. Nami kept her breathing level until she heard the click of the door closing, then let out a shaky sigh, and buried her face in her hands once she knew she was alone.

“What was that?” She asked out loud, but didn't want or expect an answer. She scrambled to her feet and quickly followed after Robin when she felt a reply was coming in the form of another cold shiver.

Out on deck, Nami didn't need to look to the horizon to gain any clues about a nearby storm. There was a small colony of seagulls squawking loudly on the upper deck, seemingly exhausted, and taking refuge from the bad weather. Their presence was also a sure sign that there was no land in sight, not for a few days at least.

After leaving Wano Country, the two crews had decided to head for Prodence Kingdom, for no other reason than that is what Luffy deemed would be the most fun. Through all the information Nami had collected before they set sail, she had estimated that they should have been at their destination by now. Though, the seas and the sky were always unpredictable, she was still sure that they should have made berth at least two days ago. For land to still be days away was a little worrying, and confusing.

'Perhaps the people of Wano were wrong'. The Strawhat's navigator thought to herself as she cast her eyes out to sea. She may have been self taught, but Nami had an unwavering trust in her own abilities, and they had served her well these past ten years. There was no way they were off course.

She lifted her left arm and gazed at her log pose on her wrist, instantly sighing in frustration when she saw where they were headed; right for what should be the eye of the storm. “Perfect.” She complained out loud. Knowing Luffy, he would want to sail right through it instead of being cautious and sailing around. He was still too carefree for her liking, and often seemed to forget that they were now sailing in The New World, and were no longer in the paradise of the Grand Line. Further proof of his recklessness came from his choice of heading. Two of the logpose's three needles pointed calmly towards the islands attracting them, probably far away from the dark and ominous clouds which were now before them. Instead of choosing a relaxing course, the Heart Pirates and the Strawhats were following the needle closest to Nami's hand, the one which was shaking the most violently.

Nami closed her eyes and threw her back in frustration, this could likely turn in to a head ache she didn't need. Then, in her moment of unmindfulness, the squawks of the seagulls grabbed her attention, and pulled her into another memory of her youth.

* * *

 

She opened her eyes and felt as though she had just strangely awoken on some distant docks. She felt achy and groggy. Her vision was blurry and dim, so Nami blinked repeatedly and rubbed her face for clarity, hoping the image before her would disappear and she'd be back on the Thousand Sunny, but it didn't disperse. Nami looked around at the harbour and instantly knew that she had been here before. She was back in the East Blue.

Most of the ships that were moored in the harbour had not bothered to furl their sails during the storms, and were discoloured, tattered and torn. A thick fog had rolled into the bay with the morning, obscuring most of the vessels and making them look like ghost ships. At least, that is what she thought as a child.

The Strawhat's navigator ducked behind a large mooring post when she heard the heavy clomp of work boots travelling along the dock. She instinctively swept all of her hair over her left shoulder and starter braiding it, reducing its surface area so it would be more difficult to grab, and less painful for her if anyone did take hold of it.

She listened carefully to the sound of those foot steps, pulling her hair tight against her neck, and pinning the ends to her chest. She flattened her palm against her sternum to quell the clenching pain that had emerged there, and to steady her racing heart. “I'm not really here.” She whispered to herself, but the shaking planks beneath her feet told her differently with every clomping footstep that was taken towards her.

She knew that sound well, and could recall the pain that accompanied it. It was the sound of an old enemy, coming to take back what she had stolen. As her memories formulated, Nami's panic began to escalate as she was flooded with terror from that childhood experience. She tried to remind herself that she was a woman now, more skilled in stealth and trickery than she had ever been, and perfectly capable of outwitting him, but nothing could sway her adolescent fears.

His name was Gideon. She remembered how he'd captured her by the ends of her hair, yanking it so hard she feared he had pulled it all out from the root to tip. He was the reason she kept her hair short for all those years. She didn't want to be caught again, especially now, and have to endure the beating he once gave her all over again.

'Move.' She ordered herself when she felt her strength being stolen from her. Her back slid down the mooring post behind her, and her bum met with the dock. The sound of his footsteps were getting louder, and the vibrations in the pier were getting fiercer. She didn't have much time.

She peered over the side of the dock an saw that the tide was in. Nami's limbs felt heavy with fear, but she managed to force her trembling legs over the side of the pier before she quietly turned, slowly lowering herself over the edge of the dock. She kept her eyes fixed on the sky around the mooring post as she shimmied down the piling into the safety of the sea.

Through her fear, the strength in her arms gave out before she reached the water line. Nami lost her her grip on the piling and slid down it, scratching her thighs and stomach on the barnacles that were encrusted to the post.

“Shit.” She winced as she collided with the ocean, hoping her splash was not loud enough to draw any attention to her. The fog would not be enough cover if anyone were to look down at the sea and investigate the splash, it was not dense enough.

Nami looked around for options, but there were none, save one. She knew better than to swim between the pilings beneath a pier, but she had no other choice, it was her only way to escape Gideon. She quickly swam for the cover of the dock, and battled with the rolling waves.

The first time Nami's head bobbed beneath the water she wasn't worried, though her arms had given out, her legs still felt fairly strong. She was a good swimmer, and knew she wouldn't need to take cover for long. As the waves repeatedly crashed over her head, 'I'm not really here!' Nami felt she had to remind herself, but that notion soon drifted away from her as the strength in her legs failed her, and she was pulled beneath the waves.

Panic gripped her when she could no longer hear the seagulls, and the waves sloshing against the pilings. All that filled her ears was the roaring of the ocean, the sound of her heart hammering in her chest, and the distinctive aquatic churn of air bubbles bursting by her head.

'I have to get back.' She told herself, and with great effort she managed to claw her way to the surface, gulping down as much oxygen as she could in her brief moment of freedom before she was once again swallowed by the sea. 'I'm going to drown.' The navigator panicked, and her thoughts turned to Bellmere.

A knot clenched in her chest when Nami she realised that she would never be able to return home and visit her mothers grave again. She'd always wanted to return, to show her the world map she had drawn, to tell her about her journey with Luffy, and everything she had accomplished in her life through her mother's brave sacrifice.

'Luffy.' She called out in her mind, and the knot in her chest grew tighter. She was never going to see him again, or the rest of the crew. They'd never even know what had happened to her. _She_ didn't even understand.

Then she felt it, 'This is it.' Nami thought as something touched her back, robbing her of any thoughts of survival. She'd been slammed into one of pilings, and through the darkness that then clouded her vision, she knew she was falling unconscious and would soon drown. 


	2. Infelicity: Part Two

The ocean smothered Nami like a tenebrous blanket that slowly began to rob her of all of her senses. 'I must have hit another piling.' She reasoned when the same sensation from earlier was felt on the back of her neck. She understood then that she was possibly closer to death than she had previously realised. Surely a collision like that should hurt, yet she hardly felt a thing.

As the darkness in her mind continued to consume her, she heard a voice in her head. It was distant and indistinct, as though it had been refracted and reflected off a hundred surfaces before it reached her ears. Most importantly, it definitely was not her own voice. _"Still not close enough ..."_

'What isn't?' She briefly wondered before that thought was sponged from her mind as though she had never had it.

"Nami-ya." She heard someone calling her. The voice wasn't subdued by the ocean surrounding her, it was stern and clear, striping away the asphyxiating substance that she was immersed in.

"Nami-ya!" She heard again, and was ripped from the ocean to be suddenly standing with Trafalgar Law's tattooed chest before her eyes, and his hand on the back of her neck. "Breathe, Nami-ya." He demanded in a worried tone, one that she failed to pick up on as she gasped for air.

The lack of oxygen in Nami's system made her feel dizzy. That, coupled with sudden shift from the smothering darkness to the bright world she was now in, it overwhelmed Nami, made her feel confused and disoriented. She wasn't quite sure where she was, but the salt water that burned Nami's sinuses gave her a painful and mystifying explanation as to where she was a moment ago. She was sure a panic attack would emerge any second, if she wasn't having one already. Nami felt herself sway, only to have Law steady her a moment later, but she quickly pushed Law out of the way and ran past him, her mind swimming with disbelief in respect to where she actually was now.

She rushed towards the end of the roof and quickly looked down to the lawn deck below. Nami took a deep breath, ignoring the smoke and heat that was bellowing from the chimney next to her, then gave a heavy sigh of relief when she saw the rest of the crew playing, fishing and relaxing as they always did. The sounds of their cheerful and familiar voices helped to free her a little from the anxiety and fear of her daydream, if she could really call it that, and truly made her feel relieved to be back on the Thousand Sunny, safe and sound.

'Safe.' She mentally scoffed as her eyes filled with tears, mocking herself for believing it, even if it was only for a second. She was trembling. Her heart raced through being stricken with panic, her blood seemed to boil with anger as she was completely helpless against whatever it was that was happening to her.

What was happening to her? How did it start? It had taken such a mental toll on her that Nami could barely piece things together chronologically. 'Where was I before I was on the pier?' Nami asked herself, retracing her steps as best she could. 'The seagulls!' She remembered, instantly noticing that the colony was no longer seeking refuge on the ship. It was the sound of their squawks that had taken her back. The realisation came with a warm flutter of adrenaline in her stomach. That, mixed with the sun's rays, which seemed to flare in that moment with extra intensity, hinting to her to look at the horizon; Nami noticed that not a single storm cloud remained over head. 'What happened?' She wondered as she checked the skies in every direction, fear and doubt slowly creeping up her spine as everything seemed different to how she remembered.

'I should tell Luffy.' She decided when she spotted the rim of his hat poking out from behind Sunny's mane. Nami knew there wasn't anything he could do to help her, but it might ease her mind if she told him what was going on, though he probably wouldn't understand. How could he when even she did not, how would she even begin to explain herself?

Nami closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated on the laughter of her companions, hopeful that it could not trigger anything negative. They brought her hope, no matter how small it was in this instance, and an effusive warmth began to spread throughout Nami's chest as she thought of them. She knew that ultimately she would be safe so long as she trusted in them, and confided in them.

"What happened?" Law's low and apathetic voice sounded behind her, snuffing out that warm flame of hope in her chest that she had just kindled. His indifference aggravated her, but Nami bit her tongue, the last thing she needed then was an argument.

"Nothing." Nami quickly replied in a voice a cool as his. She didn't expect him to believe that answer, there was no way he would, not when he had been telling her to breathe moments ago, but she didn't want to explain anything to him. She was upset, confused and scared. If she was going to tell anyone then it would be someone who cared about her well-being, one of her nakama, not the cold hearted captain of their allies. They were beyond the stage of formalities, so why ask when he did not give a damn?

As Law began to walk towards her, the click of his boots on the deck reminded her of Gideon's march along the pier, and she couldn't hide her reaction to it. Fear griped her heart again, pumping panic and despair through her veins. The squawk of the seagulls triggered her memories earlier, so would the sound of Law's footsteps once again call forth that consciousness? She folded her arms across her chest, trapping her hands to conceal their tremor, trying to concentrate on her nakama below. She wasn't sure if it was from her ordeal a moment ago, or if she was once again revisiting what had happened, but she could taste salt water in her mouth, and it stung her nose and eyes as the memories of how Gideon had once tried to drown her came flooding back to her.

"Nami-ya," Law muttered as he stopped next to her, then trailed a finger over the damp skin on her shoulder. It was only then that Nami noticed she was saturated, her hair was still braided and heavy with seawater. "That doesn't look like nothing." He continued through a dark frown, ignoring her distress and all the emotional signs of what she had been through, and motioning to cuts and scratches on her stomach and thighs.

"I'll be fine. It's noth-" Nami started, but was cut off as Law raised his left hand and flexed his devil fruit ability, calling for his _room_ , and transporting them to one of the rooms below.

"Sit." He ordered the second they were in infirmary. His frown from a moment ago was still present on his features as he pointed to the empty bed behind her and turned to face Chopper's desk.

Nami hated him using his ability to transport her anywhere, and she silently fumed at him for it as she stared as his back. The moment was short lived though as fear and worry began churn in her mind again. Nami watched as he began to gather a variety of gauze and dressings, and place them on a silver tray, hoping the situation wouldn't remind her of anything, and wishing that she could just forget everything.

Her attention was snatched away by her legs as she moved to sit down. She hissed as something scratched her inner thigh, debris of some sort lodged into the tissue. "Shouldn't you get Chopper?" Nami asked, quickly looking up when she heard the snap of a surgical glove close around Law's hand. It wasn't that she felt he wasn't capable, more than she didn't especially want his help, and he certainly wasn't the sort of company she needed.

He turned his head and regarded her out of the corner of his eye, slowly turning to place the tray on the bed next to her, then sitting down on the swivel chair opposite, and pulling up in front of her. "I'm perfectly capable of treating you." He said with a slight air of annoyance and a dark scowl, one which would keep a cold wall of distance between them. On the bright side, at least the hostility between them would keep Nami preoccupied.

Law began to clean her wounds in silence, paying close attention to the ones on her thighs, and taking extra time and care on her tarnished skin. Though her legs were barely parted, as time when on, Nami started to feel more and more awkward about their indignant position. She soon began to huff and fidget, and her hands and feet started to twitch through her discomfort. Law must have picked up on her embarrassment, as he suddenly disappeared and reappeared in an instant, offering Nami a towel to cover herself with. "That's the best I can offer you until I've removed those arthropod remnants."

'Arthropod?' She wondered, but didn't dare to ask him anything in case he decided to quiz her. "Thanks." Nami whispered as she carefully got to her feet, then put the towel between her legs and sat back down. Though the towel wasn't much, Nami felt much better for having the item to conceal herself. She couldn't have just brazenly sat there in a bikini while he treated her wounds, not in that position anyway.

She looked up at him then and saw a melancholic expression on his face, something he often wore in her presence. "You don't have to do this." Nami felt inclined to say. Her wounds didn't look too deep, not the ones on her abdomen anyway, they were mere surfaces scratches. Nami felt she could deal with it on her own.

"I'll be treating you whether you like it or not." Law retorted as he sat back down, then grabbed her right ankle to place her foot on the arm of his chair, propping her leg up. He quickly hid his sullen expression beneath the peak of his hat, getting back to work on Nami leg, retaining his frost bitten spirit.

Nami's eyes drifted down from hat to his tattooed chest, and lingered on the scars that punctured its decoration. She knew what he had endured on Dressrosa, she had heard the gruesome tale from her crew mates. Knowing what he'd been through, it still made her heart heavy, but any empathy she felt for him she kept it to herself.

There was a time when she openly feared for Law, and wished to reach out to him, but every bit of fondness she may have felt had been wiped away with one single comment, one petty statement that she could still hear now as he treated her. _"Anyone but her, Tony-ya."_ Law had muttered while he was on the verge of death.

Nami had never properly understood why he didn't want her to help Chopper. She was certain that Law had grown to trust her, she was sure that she felt it before they left for Zou, though in retrospect she imagined he was only acting out of pure desperation, nothing more.

Nami glowered at him, and continued to do so as he picked up a bottle of iodine and handed it to her. "Open that." He instructed, glancing up at her for longer than was needed. The look was something she had seen on him many times before. Sometimes she would catch him staring at her when he thought she was unaware, a pained expression darkening his features, as though her very existence bothered him.

"What?" Nami asked when he continued to peer up at her.

"Do you still insist that nothing happened?" He asked, reaching for a pair of tweezers. Nami huffed in reply, then took her eyes off him to glance around the room. She had become accustomed to their cold and meaningless conversations, and stubbornly wished for them to continue.

Law didn't press the matter. He continued to work in silence, inspecting the lacerations on her thighs, and regularly pulling out splinters of something foreign from thighs. "At least speak with your captain." He mumbled.

He confused Nami to no end. Why on Dressrosa and Green Bit had he made her feel that he put his trust in her, perhaps above all of her crew mates, only to shatter that belief the next time she saw him. And now he seemed distant and angry because she wasn't being open with him, and all because he had shut himself off from her in the first place.

Though his attempts were useless when it came to Luffy, Law still tried to keep some distance between himself and the Strawhats. For those that warred on Dressrosa with him, it was obvious that bonds had been formed between them that Law could never break. He was less guarded around those few. Through their battle, it seemed as those the rest of the crew had seen a weakness in him, an emotional scar maybe, that pierced his cold façade. It felt to Nami as though they had a silent understanding, bringing them closer than Law wanted, something that neither herself, Sanji, Brook or Chopper would ever be a part of.

Brook didn't notice the divide. If he did, then he never made a point of showing it. He played his music and drank his tea as if he had the greatest audience, or was with the truest of friends. Chopper admired Law too much to be aware of anything. He tailed the man regularly, asking all sorts of pharmaceutical and surgical questions as he followed Law around the two ships. A twitch of irritation was always present on Law's face whenever Chopper the inquisitor was on his case, but he answered all his quires regardless. Sanji disliked Law for the conversations he held with Nico Robin, and seemingly clung to a fair amount of animosity for the man for that reason alone. He didn't act as though he noticed any sort of separation between them, but Nami felt it. Law's demeanour had certainly softened since Dressrosa, but the Surgeon of Death was always unconcerned whenever it came to her. Rejecting her friendship and kindness, and remaining at an icy arms length.

Nami had heard about what had taken place on Dressrosa, and the Heart Pirates had explained to her while on Zou what Law's connection to Doflamingo was. She hadn't previously known just how dangerous of a man he was, and she found herself resenting Law a little for excluding his own crew from his plans, an involving hers.

The Heart Pirates were obviously so important to him that he sent them away to protect them, but he chose to risk the life's of her nakama instead. With that knowledge, and how he had been acting in regard to her, she found it easy to dislike him.

What had happened on Dressrosa, and everything she had heard of Doflamingo, helped her to realise just how lucky she'd been as a child. Arlong, and all he had put her through made for a truly harrowing experience, but it could have been worse. Nami knew she had learnt nothing of the real world, not like Law had. From the nameless pirates she pit herself against back then, she only knew of the sugar coated side to piracy. Through their childhood experiences, Nami thought that in one respect she could relate to Law. Their situations had practically mirrored one and others. She had tried to reach out to him through that, but was immediately rebuffed.

"What is your problem with me?" She finally decided to ask him, studying his reaction, though she imagined that after dealing with Doflamingo for so long and concealing his hatred for the man, that Law was quite practised in hiding his true thoughts and emotions.

Law carefully removed something from her thigh, and dropped it onto the tray next to her along with the tweezers. "I don't have a problem with you, Nami-ya." He said, reaching up to take the bottle of iodine from her hands.

Nami raised her eyebrows at him, sending him a look of utter disbelief. She wasn't convinced in the slightest. She saw the way his frame stiffened at her question, and recognized the guarded look in his eyes. Then, of course, there was his behaviour towards her over the last few weeks.

He removed her foot from off the arm of his chair, then pushed away from her sank back into it with a deep sigh. "You're just difficult to be around." He explained, refusing to look her in the eye as he spoke.

Nami's jaw dropped at that statement, and she blankly stared at him for a few moments. "How am I difficult?" She finally managed to ask, not bothering to hide her anger at his statement. Sure, she might have been a bit of a pain on Punk Hazard, insisting that they helped those children against his wishes, but that was the right thing to do. Since then, she had been nothing but a help to him from that point on.

Yes, she was tempestuous. Nami knew it full well, and she took it in her stride, but she had done well to keep her temper in check when it came to Law, and she couldn't recall lashing out at him once. How could _he_ say she was difficult?

His words hurt her terribly. The phrase 'cut like a knife' never seemed more appropriate, though the pain that she felt certainly wasn't. She blamed the emotion on everything else she had been dealing with recently, not wanting to give him any credit for possibly being able to afflict her. "I didn't ask for your help just now," that was all she imagined it could be. "I wanted you to get Chopper!" Nami said as she started to rise from off the bed.

"Wait, Nami-ya," Law began as she headed for the door, but she didn't wait. She could tell that her cheeks were florid, and she'd had enough of dealing with him. "You still need antibiotics, and a teta-" The slam of the infirmary door cut his sentence short.

Nami thought there was a hint of remorse in his tone, but she was obviously wrong. He merely wanted to finish her treatment.


	3. Infelicity: Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece

 

'Difficult to be around?' Nami fumed as she stormed away from the infirmary, shaking her head in disbelief. In her mind, she had done nothing but try to be Law's friend and ally. Why did that trouble him so much? She couldn't understand it.

"Nami-swan~" Sanji called to her from the kitchen as she passed one of the windows to the galley. She remembered then about her wounds, and quickly rearranged the towel Law had given her, wrapping it around herself to hide her sores as best she could. "Lunch will be ready soon." He shouted, thankfully not leaving the galley to tell her in person.

She nodded an affirmation, though she wasn't hungry in the slightest. Nami just wanted to speak with Luffy about what was happening to her, but decided she should probably dress first. Though how she was going to make it to her quarters without being stopped by any of her nakama, she didn't know. Her injuries would definitely require an explanation, and one she still wasn't sure how she was going to manage-

"Nami-san," Brook began in a serious tone, interrupting her thoughts, "may I see-"

Nami snapped. Before she knew it, she'd turned and grabbed his sword-stick. Then, with a resounding crack, she hit him round the head with it.

She could feel her anger starting to boil from the second Brook opened his mouth, and it dawned on her then that that would be her cover. Nami's wrath was notorious on board the Thousand Sunny, and since she was quite sure everyone on the ship had head that blow to Brook's head she decided to play up to that anger, hoping she could quickly make her way towards her quarters to get changed.

Brook's frequent request to see her underwear did vex her, though only momentarily, but now it made for a good gambit. And, it was much easier to pretend she was angry with him than admitting to anyone that she was still hurt and a little mad by what Law had said to her.

"You bruised me even though I'm only a skeleton." She heard Brook joke as she stomped down the stairs to the deck below, huffing and puffing with every step as she did to ward off anyone's possible attempt at making conversation with her.

All of the Heart Pirates looked stricken with fear, and thankfully none of her crew mates called to her as she hurried across the lawn deck. Chopper and Usopp seemed frozen in place, heads turned in her direction, but with their fishing poles still aimed over the edge of Sunny. They watched her pass with terrified eyes and nervous faces, but both knew better than to aggravate her further.

She marched up the stairs to her quarters and slammed the door behind her, giving everyone a sure sign that was furious, and to stay out of her way.

* * *

Nami discarded the towel the moment the door was closed, then made her way over to her bed, glancing out of her window and she did. She glimpsed Law as he left the infirmary. He seemed to look more tormented than she had ever seen him, but before she thought more about his expression his eyes found her window, and she quickly dropped backwards onto her bed, hoping that he didn't see her.

Nami dragged her duvet cover around her, and wrapped herself in it tightly. She felt she needed the small sense of security it gave her. She was almost ashamed to admit that she desperately wanted someone to embrace her, to put their arms around her, and ensure her that she was going to be alright. "You're a grown woman, Nami." She chided out loud as she threw her covers off of herself.

Why was she so hurt that Law found her 'difficult to be around'? She found herself wondering again as she pushed herself further on to her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Was it just because of all the fear and anxiety that her 'daydreams' had been dragging up, or was it something more? She did feel that she had been overly emotional recently, but he surely couldn't have affected her that badly.

The more she mulled it over in her mind, the more Nami decided that she was simply mourning the wasted effort of trying to reach out to him. She knew that she had never been very good at letting people truly get close to her, so for her to make that effort and be rejected was seeming to be a little crushing for her.

Back on Zou, she had leant all about his past from his crew, and that was why she hoped to reach out to him. She had spent years fighting alone, just as Law had before he met his crew. She knew the pain of it all, and the toll it can take on a person, and she had briefly wondered if Law wanted to die in his battle against Doflamingo. More than once she had grown so tired she found herself just wanting it all to end. She knew she couldn't stop though. The fate of her entire village was resting on her shoulders, and more than anything, she had hope. She had promised Bellmere that she would live through the bad times so that one day she could smile again, and she was determined to fulfill that promise.

In spite of how much he had been frowning recently, Nami was positive that Law could lead a happy life with his crew, they had shown her that much.

_"What do we do?" Bepo fretted. His voice seemed to echoed around the mess hall on board Law's submarine when Nami walked in._

_The atmosphere was heavy, making her feel that she was intruding on a private conversation as Bepo, Shachi and Penguin were sitting around one of the metal tables staring gravely at something in front of them. After a few moments of stony silence and regular worried glances at Penguin from his crew mates, "We go." Law's first mate finally said in a stern and resolute tone._

_"Go where?" Nami interrupted. The Heart Pirates jolted at the sound of her voice, seemingly too preoccupied to notice her up until then._

_The three of them watched her as she approached the table, not bothering to hide what they had been staring at. "It's the Captain's." Bepo solemnly whispered._

_Nami suddenly felt sick as she saw the singed edges of Law's Vivre card burn and smoulder on the metal between them. She slowly lifted her hand to cover her mouth as a crushing sensation burst in her chest, stealing the air from her lungs. Her vision instantly blurred, momentarily obscuring what was in front of her until her tears pooled enough to fall from her lids, to once again reveal the source of all of their pain._

_Shachi sniffed, and removed his sunglasses to wipe the tears from his bloodshot eyes. They were swollen, and as red as his nose. It was the first time Nami had ever seen him without them, she recalled._

_"We go now!" Penguin ordered as the card reduced in size as Law battled for his life on Dressrosa._

_"You can't," Nami's voice quaked as she spoke. "He sent you here to protect you. He entrusted me with Caesar and Momonosuke. He wanted you all far away from Dressrosa, and Doflamingo. You can't go back there." She cried._

_"He's our Captain." Penguin declared, and the rest of the Heart Pirates sat up straight as those words filled them with pride. "We can't sit back and do nothing, not when we know he is in trouble, not when we know we could help him. And if we die trying, then at least we have fought for something worth while." His face flushed as he practically shouted those last few words._

_He wasn't yelling at Nami, she knew, she recognized the emotion. Though there was and air of finality to his speech, Nami knew he trying to instil some hope and determination into his men, though by the spirited expressions on their faces, they didn't need it._

_"We have two ships. If you have to, then you and your crew can stay here and fulfil your end of your deal with him, but we can't." Penguin concluded._

_She couldn't help but relate the situation to her own crew. Despite Robin's wishes, they all followed after her to Enies Lobby, to rescue her from death, even though it may have cost them their own. More than that, Nami felt she understood how much the Heart Pirates wanted to be there for their captain, it was surely the same with her feelings towards Luffy when he went to rescue Ace. Though, she was stuck on Weatheria at the time, unable to come to his aid. "Okay." Nami sobbed._

Over the few hours that followed his crew deciding to head to Dressrosa, all of Law's crew, and hers, feared for him. They were crying and shouting words of encouragement, as if Law could somehow hear them through the card's connection.

Nami had watched the scorched card with a heavy heart, and joined her hands to silently pray for what would help him to smile again. In one respect she felt she couldn't blame Law if he wanted it to end, but Nami also found herself becoming angry with him for even the slightest possibility that he wanted to throw his life away against Doflamingo. He had been given a chance at life, and death was no way to repay the person who had given it to him.

Had he forgotten how important he was to his crew, how much they admired him and needed him? Did he not even consider that his crew would be watching his Vivre card's every move? Had it not occurred to him that he worried them when he went on this endeavour alone? And that she might be worried for him too, along with the rest of the Strawhats?

'Death' she thought, he had the word tattooed across his god-damned knuckles. It was on the side of his ship, next to the image of a beaming smiley face. 'Of course he would smile in the face of death.' she scoffed, it suited him perfectly. She changed her prayer then from wanting him to smile again, asking God to ensure that he survive that battle, to stay true to the deal he made with Luffy and honour their alliance in bringing down Kaido.

That was why she was hurt so much, Nami decided. She was mourning her wasted hope and emotion for him.

'No.' She chided, it wasn't _wasted_ emotion. Whatever it was that he found difficult about her, Nami was no longer going to beat herself up about it if it was due to her empathy and compassion. They were virtues, not flaws. And she still couldn't help but hope that he could find happiness.

As if somebody had slapped her around the face, Nami realised with a start that she was thinking about the past, and nothing was happening to her. She was still in her quarters, she hadn't been taken back to relive that memory. Was it only when something from the world around her triggered her memories that she was dragged into one of them? Did she really have no control over what ever it was? That thought made her sick with worry, and she was afraid now to be on her own, even more then before.

Scared of what her surroundings may trigger, she quickly started raiding her wardrobe for a dress so she could head back out on deck.

* * *

Nami emerged from hers and Robin's cabin wearing a khaki green, jersey, midi dress. She thought it best to not wear her jeans, and to let her wounds breathe, and that was the only dress she had which was long enough to cover her thighs. There was nothing she could do about the ones on her stomach, she didn't have anything at all that was loose fitting.

The moment she stepped out of the door she immediately felt as those eyes were upon her. It was different though, not like before when she was in the library. The feeling didn't make her uneasy or send a shiver up her spine, so Nami felt that she was safe.

She looked down to the lawn deck to see if Luffy was there, only to notice that Law stared up at her with a frown as he talked with his crew. She could see his golden eyes move over every inch of her, the doctor in him probably scrutinising how tight her dress was over her wounded stomach.

From the scowl on his face, and the fact that he was with Bepo and Penguin, Nami couldn't help but wonder if Law found her difficult to be around because she didn't stop his crew from disobeying a direct order from him? Or was it that he was aware that they had possibly divulged a little but too much information to her for his liking? Nami knew she wouldn't know unless she asked him, but she didn't feel that she wanted to talk with him any time soon, not about that at least.

The world around her suddenly started to grow cold, and fear struck Nami like a blade of ice through her heart. She hadn't seen or heard anything to trigger a memory, and she had already deduced that she could not evoke those tangible daydreams at will. Her breathing quickened, and she frantically cast her eyes about the ship looking for any clues, but her search was thankfully cut short when the sun re-emerged from behind a cloud.

She breathed a heavy sigh of relief and covered her face with her hands. She felt weak and pathetic. She was an expert meteorologist, was she really so distressed that things which were usually a second nature to her seemed to have been forgotten.  
How could she be so terrified? She questioned as she swallowed hard to will away the lump that had developed in her throat.  
When was it going to end? She wondered, still hiding her face while she caught her breath.

Nami parted her fingers a little, and looked down at the lawn deck to see Law still glowering up at her. His grimace didn't lessen as he turned to Bepo and Penguin, "Just do as I say. All of you." He ordered.

"But why do we have to go back to the sub, Captain? What did you do?"

She heard Penguin ask, as she turned on her heel and headed up to the helm. Nami didn't care for whatever they were bickering about, she had other things on her mind, more important things. She needed to speak with Luffy before anything further happened to her, or she at least wanted to be in his company when it did.

Nami hurried up the stairs to the helm and placed her log pose in the binnacle as she passed, then slowly stepped towards the figure head.

As she approached, she could see Luffy lazing on top of Sunny's head. He was propped low against the lion's mane, his legs dangled down towards Sunny's face, his arms were folded behind his head, and his straw hat tipped to shade his eyes from the sun.

He was so relaxed and quiet Nami wondered if he was asleep. "Luffy?" She called in a shaky voice.

"Nami." He said, sitting up to attention and pushing his hat properly on to his head, then turning to look up at her.  
He was frowning, which worried her. When was Luffy ever not smiling? She wondered, or did he know something was wrong?

"Erm … " she began, not really knowing where to start, then suddenly feeling awkward as though someone had stolen her voice. Nami looked away from him then, and when she noticed the slight tremor to her hands, her eyes began to well up. She needed to tell him what was happening, why was it so hard for her to formulate words?

Luffy turned his gaze to the ocean then, and patted Sunny on the top of its head, silently encouraging her to sit down.

Mindful of her wounds, Nami slowly eased herself down next to him, but turned her back to him. She instantly felt easier about trying to talk with Luffy. Somehow she felt it wouldn't be as difficult if he couldn't see her face. "I … erm," Nami struggled again.

She wrapped her arms around her knees then slumped back as she took a deep, shaky breath. Why was it so difficult to talk to him? Was it because Nami didn't know herself what was happening. Would she even be able to explain herself so Luffy could understand? She knew he could solve any problem with his fists, but this wasn't a physical problem, it was mental; mnemonic. How could he help her with that? It wasn't someone he could hunt down to the ends of the world, how could he fight for her when she couldn't even fight for herself?

Tears flooded her eyes again, and Nami threw her face to sky, determined not to let them fall, but when she felt the crown of his straw hat hug the top of her head, she couldn't stop her tears from tumbling down her cheeks.

"Luffy." She sobbed as she released her knees and to try to dry her eyes with one hand, while the other reached up to touch the rim of his hat. "S-something is happening to me ..." She finally began, swallowing hard, "I don't understand, and I'm scared." She explained through heavy sobs which she couldn't control, and constantly trying to expel her tears.

Luffy said nothing, causing Nami to suddenly feel stuck again. "Erm," She swallowed and slumped forward, trying to find the words to continue explaining herself. Before she could vocalise anything that was in her head, she jolted forward when she felt something touch her the centre of her back. Nami quickly looked over her shoulder as Luffy rested his back against hers, forcing her to sit up straight, and to lean into him if she didn't want him lying on top of her.

She laughed then. Her nose tingled, and a deluge fell from her eyes as an effusive swell of relief flooded her heart. Whether he meant it that way or not, it felt to Nami like he was silently showing her that he would be her strength, her back bone, if she needed him to be. She could lean on him, and everything would be alright. She would be alright.

"Take your time, Nami." Luffy quietly advised, leaning his head back to rest against her shoulder.

She smiled at the gesture, and the remark, because that's what her captain had always been like with her. He knew she had her secrets, and he never crossed her boundaries. He would just always patiently wait until she was ready to ask him for help.

"I've been reliving my memories." Nami began to explain as simply as possible. "I think it started as nightmares, but now they happen when I'm awake." She said, she soon found that she could talk freely with him.

Nami wondered how all of her recent dreams had suddenly made her feel so insecure, but she was grateful that she could still find solace in his company. With Luffy's hat on her head, and him at her back, Nami felt stronger.

Luffy quietly remained at her back while she spoke, not interrupting her once. Maybe he didn't understand her, but that didn't mean he wouldn't help. He may have been an idiot academically, but he knew something was not right with her. He was always so perceptive, especially when it came to paramount matters concerning his nakama, or anyone who potentially needed his help. In that situation, he always knew what needed to be done. 'Why did I not speak to him sooner?' Nami questioned herself.

"Oi, Luffy." Usopp shouted up to him, excitedly.

"In a minute." Luffy replied, not moving from his place behind Nami, though she knew he wanted to.

"But we've caught something!" The sniper yelled, earning him an eager groan from his captain.

"It's okay, Luffy." Nami insisted, removing her weight from his back. She hadn't explained everything, not even nearly, but at least she'd made at start. At least he was aware, and just knowing that really did make her feel that a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"You sure?" He asked, and Nami nodded in reply.

"I'll be back in a minute." Luffy asserted, and Nami watched with a smile as her captain dashed towards the lawn deck, leaving his hat perched on her head.

"Is that a man?" She heard him ask, sceptically.


	4. Crux: Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece.

“It's not a man, is it?” Nami heard Luffy continue with an air of disbelief to his tone.

“Of course it isn't!” Chopper shouted as the three of them examined what Usopp had 'caught'. Slowly enunciating every syllable, he proclaimed, “It's a fishman.” Though he sounded as if he was quite unsure, and still trying to decide for himself if that was indeed what they were looking upon.

The way Chopper had sceptically declared that it was a fishman piqued Nami's curiosity. She had remained sitting on top of Sunny's head, waiting for Luffy to return, but she soon decided to make her way down to the lawn deck to see what all the fuss was about.

As she reached the helm, Nami could still see Law and Penguin having a heated discussion. Though Law looked confident with his sword resting over his shoulder, both of them appeared to be uneasy, suspicious maybe, as if they were about to perform a task that they might regret.

They made Nami feel nervous. Perhaps it was due to recent events that she was just being paranoid, but she was certain they were talking about her, and her intuition was never wrong.

Feeling a little self conscious, Nami adjusted Luffy's straw hat that was still on her head, then kept hold of its rim as she made her way to the lawn deck.

"Go, and do not stray from my orders." Law said, looking a little sympathetic. "I mean it, Penguin." He affirmed in an authoritative tone.

The Heart Pirates' first mate looked to Nami then as she descended the last few steps. "But, are you sure, Captain?" He asked, his eyes had a hint of sadness to them as he regarded Nami.

"Yes." Law said, then turned to walk away. Penguin stuffed his hands into the pockets of his boiler suit, and his head fell forward the moment his captain spoke, hiding his eyes from Nami with the peak of his hat, but she could still see the frown on his lips.

"Oi, Nami! Come and look at this." Luffy shouted, snatching her attention before she had time to think about what the hell the Heart Pirates were up to.

Nami nodded, then quickly glanced back to Penguin before heading to the starboard bulwark where Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp were huddled. Penguin had already disappeared.

"Stop crowding! I need to examine him." Chopper scolded the two men as Nami approached.

Luffy and Usopp stepped away, giving Nami her first view of the fishman.

The man was clearly a tiger shark. His slender body and wedge shaped head, round black eyes, and sharp teeth gave away what genus of fishman he was. There was a dusting of teal spots present on his glaucous skin, where his stripes had begun to fade as he'd matured, hinting at his species. How there was any confusion when Usopp 'caught' him completely escaped Nami. Though, she supposed she had spent much more time with fishmen than all of the crew combined, so it was much easier for her to determine what his was.

"Have you caught something delicious for me to prepare for Nami-swan and Robin-chwan?" Sanji suddenly sang as he stepped out of the galley, and glanced down at the fishermen and their catch.

Nami didn't bother to look up at him. She suspected she knew the enamoured expression that was on his face at the prospect of cooking for the two women, and she was absolutely not in the mood for his idiocy. Not today.

The tiger shark was by no means appetising. As Nami inspected him a little more closely, she saw that his skin was loose and his hair was sparse. Though the fishman was clearly old, neither of those ailments were due to his age. His mottled teeth gave the greatest clue as to what was the matter with him, it was something that even she could see with her limited medical knowledge. He was severely malnourished, verging on starvation.

"Usopp, help me take his lifebelt off." Chopper requested. There was an urgency to his tone, as though he had already grasped the severity of the fishman's state.

"R-right." Usopp stammered, and began to cut away the fishing wire that was tangled around his body.

"Wa-tar..." The old fishman suddenly choked out, startling Chopper and Usopp. His voice was a faint breath above a whisper, his throat so parched he could barely speak.

"Sanji-kun." Nami shouted up, and he disappeared into the galley at once.

"Are you okay, old man?" Luffy asked him, seemingly unaware of his dire condition.

"Wh-who are you? Where am I?" The man asked in a brittle voice, slowly trying to sit up, and swatting Chopper's hooves away, refusing his aid.

"I'm Luffy, the man who will be the Pirate King!" Her captain explained as he crouched down to the deck with a beaming smile.

Luffy's declaration clearly scared the fishman. His jaw dropped, and is his skin blanched. "You're pirates?" He asked as he tried to recoil.

"Uh-huh." Luffy nodded, and Chopper stepped forward to continue his evaluation. The man was weak, and could do little to stop the doctor as he performed a basic medical examination.

Sanji returned then with a glass, and a jug of cold water for the fishman. Condensation had already began to accumulate on the container, and a few beads had pooled enough to run. "Drink it slow, or you will get a brain freeze." The cook warned as he poured the fishman a drink and offered it to him.

He glanced at Sanji first, then up to the face of every pirate surrounding him, as though he feared the water may be poisoned. His eyes rested on Nami, travelling up to Luffy's signature hat which was perched on her head as he tentatively took a sip of his drink.

"What's your name?" The Strawhat's captain asked the fishman, as eagerly as he asked anyone he ever met.

"Nornir." He replied, then continued to slowly sip his water, choking on it slightly, as if his throat had forgotten how to swallow.

"Haha, Narnia? That's a funny name!" Luffy giggled, slapping his knee in merriment.

"It's Nornir." The fishman corrected him, visibly irritated by the mistake. "You can call me Norn."

"What happened?" Nami asked him. She was curious to know how he ended up adrift at sea with nothing but a lifebelt strapped to his chest.

"There's a great storm that frequents these waters. Our main mast snapped in two as if it were a toothpick." He stopped, pausing to breathe before he continued, "I was shipwrecked about ... " Norn broke off, his brows furrowed and dark eyes rolled in their sockets as if he was searching for an answer. "... I don't know when it was."

Being dehydrated and lost at sea, Nami felt that it would be easy to feel that the days could seem to roll into one, to stretch on almost seamlessly. Who knew how long Norn had been out there for. It could have been days, maybe even weeks. His experience may have left him a little delirious.

"Luffy, can you help me bring him to the infirmary?" Chopper asked, taking the glass from Norn's hands and looping his arm around his neck.

"I'm fine the man insisted. I don't need you hospitality!" He cried, sounding very adamant that he didn't want any help from pirates. His stomach growled then and gave away his hunger.

Sanji immediately turned and headed for the kitchen. "Bring him to the galley. I won't allow a starving man to go hungry."

* * *

 

Usopp helped Norn up the stairs to the kitchen. Despite saying that he didn't want any hospitality from pirates, he was quite willing to dine with them, and clearly wasn't as frail as they had originally thought. He shook off the extra help from Chopper, so the doctor and Luffy walked up the stairs behind them, and Usopp was merely a crook for him to lean on.

Nami waited at the door, watching as they sat the fishman down at the table.

"I rescued this guy!" Usopp boasted, but was met with sceptical looks from the crew members in the galley. Of course, everyone knew that it would have been a sheer accident that he managed to 'rescue' the fishman. Usopp's favourite fishing hook and float were still snagged on Norn's life jacket, giving away the truth of the situation, if they needed any proof.

Franky grabbed his cola and vacated his chair in order for Usopp to have a place to seat the fishman, in the chair to Luffy's left and to the right of Robin.

The archaeologist was also sitting at the table, drinking coffee with Brook, who was sitting opposite her, slurping his tea. Franky perched himself on a stool at the breakfast bar behind Robin, and everyone took up their usual seats around the dining table, with Luffy at the head, as always.

"Eat that." Sanji ordered as he put a large bowl of seasoned rice before the fishman. He tried to extinguish his cigarette on Luffy's grabbing hands, to stop him from stealing Norn's food. "Yours will be ready in a minute!" He scolded.

Nami strolled up to the table as the fishman began to eat. She reluctantly took off Luffy's comforting hat, instantly missing it and the strange sense of security she felt while wearing it, then placed it back atop her captain's head.

Luffy turned to flash a smile at her then. It wasn't as bright as usual, there was concern in his eyes, like he knew they needed to finish their earlier conversation, and not just for Nami's sake.

She smiled at him warmly as she sat down to the table, but her lips fell to a frown as her eyes found the fishman opposite. Nami was wary of him. She was wary of everyone at first so it wasn't anything new, but somehow this time it felt worse. She was ready to blame it on all that had gone on recently, and the peculiar behaviour of the Heart Pirates that was nagging at the back of her mind, but it just didn't feel right. It didn't feel like paranoia.

The door to the galley flung open with a crash, and the Strawhat's swordsman stepped in and headed for his seat on the other side of Brook. The heel of his left hand was scrubbing the sleep from his right eye as he yawned while walking. He seemed drowsy, but Nami didn't miss the way his right hand was resting on his swords, and the way it slowly began to creep further down so his thumb could gently push Wado from its sheath. If Zoro was on alert, perhaps Nami was right to be wary.

"Hurry up, idiot marimo." Sanji said with a frustrated tone as he placed platters of sandwiches on the table.

"What was that, Ero-cook?" Zoro growled. His cocky smirk and tone of voice hinted to how much he was looking for a fight, but before he got into a scuffle with Sanji, Norn spoke.

"This is ..." The fishman started, too hungry to finish his sentence in one go. "delicious!"

"It's that good, huh?" Sanji said, his irritation caused by Zoro seemed instantly lifted. He turned then, hiding the soft smile on his lips, and headed back into the kitchen.

Nami was expecting him to complain that he only accepted gratitude from women, so it made a pleasant change to see him react so humbly to a compliment.

The cook returned then with another platter of sandwiches and a plate of onigiri and set them down on the large table. Nami felt a pang of sadness as she eyed the rice balls. She knew they were intended for Law, and she knew that he wouldn't be coming.

Why had the Heart Pirates fled like that? It wasn't as if she'd had a fight with Law, she merely stormed out on him when she could no longer deal with him, or the fact that he found her 'difficult to be around.' That wasn't any reason for them to leave the ship. Had he also abandoned the alliance he'd entered with Luffy? Was that something else she needed to speak to her captain about.

"Where're you from?" Luffy asked Nornir with an inquisitive smile.

For once it seemed his simplicity didn't annoy Nami. She snorted softly, then reached for some food. It seemed wrong to eat the tuna sandwiches in front of the fishman, so she picked up a couple of ham ones.

"Fishman Island." Norn answered with an astonished, wide eyed expression. It really was hard to believe that there was someone dense enough to ask a fishman where they were from.

"Oh yea." Luffy remarked, then stuffed a handful of sandwiches into his mouth.

"What happened to the rest of your crew?" Nami asked, eager to get to the truth about Norn, and get a little more information on the great storm that he mentioned earlier.

"Dead. I think." The fishman began to explain while eating." A few of us survived the first storm, but the second one wrecked the life boat and we got separated."

Nami studied Norn as he spoke, she noticed that Chopper did, too. He leant forward in his seat, probably concerned that there might be other survivors who needed treating.

Norn spoke fairly coldly of his crew mates. She imagined that if she lost the crew amidst a storm she would be beside herself with grief. She was the navigator on board the Thousand Sunny, it was her responsibility to get them safely from one island to the next, so not only would she be mourning them, but she'd also be blaming herself. For Norn to have recently lost all of his crew mates, he showed no emotion, neither positive or negative, for their passing.

Had he seen death so many times that he was hardened to it? Actually, he initially refused help from pirates, so who or what was is? It was unlikely that a fishman was a fisherman and had lost his crew or family to the storm. He could have been a marine, she supposed, and new to the battleship that had recently sunk. If he hadn't created any bonds with his fellow men, then he wouldn't be grieving for them.

Nami knew that the racism towards fish and mermen ran deeply throughout the world, especially in the New World. The Celestial Dragons, in particular, hated the merfolk to their very core. There was surely no way they would allow one to join the ranks of the marines, not when the Tenryūbito ruled the World Government. So, just who exactly was this Nornir?

"We were on our way to Prodence Kingdom when we got caught in the storm." Norn continued to explain as if he caught wind of Nami's suspicion. "I have an urgent message for King Elizabello II. I am far from there?"

"That's where we are headed!" Luffy said gleefully, spitting out bits of food all over the table, and all over Norn.

If it angered him, then he hid it well. "Really?" Norn asked, perking up at the bit of information, and wiping his face free of the speckles of food. "Could I come with you?"

"Okay." The Strawhat's captain agreed without a second thought. "When will we get to Prodence, Nami?" He asked, stuffing another handful of sandwiches into his mouth.

The question took Nami aback, "Erm ..." She started, not quite sure how to explain that she thought they should have arrived there about two days ago.

"Three days. Right, Nami-swan?" Sanji cooed, seeming thoroughly excited. When she failed to answer, the cook continued, "You said when we set out that it would take two weeks, so we are still three days away."

"If that's what I said." Was all the navigator managed to say. Sanji grinned at her, apparently quite pleased with himself for remembering her words, then returned to preparing some of the food for their evening meal.

Nami knew she was having trouble stringing together recent events in a coherent and chronological order, but how was her recollection of time so stretched and corrupted? Was it all because of the memories she had been experiencing? She could feel herself start to panic at the realisation, and shifted in her seat to try and disguise that fear. Things were obviously a lot worse than she's initially thought.

'I thought we should have been there by now. Are we really still three days away?' Nami wondered, failing to realise that her map of Wano had actually only taken her eleven days to complete and not seventeen.

"Are you really Monkey D. Luffy?" The fishman asked as he looked the Strawhat's captain up and down with an incredulous expression.

"Not what you were expecting?" Robin inquired.

"No. Not all." Norn replied through a crooked smile, sweeping a hand through his thin, ivory hair.

"He never is." The archaeologist smiled serenely as she spoke, picking up her cup to take a sip.

Norn breathed a sigh of relief. "I read in the paper that you were a fearsome pirate, with limitless connections and allies." The fishman said, nervously. When no one confirmed or denied what he had said, Norn glanced around the table before he continued. "I heard from fishman Island that Shyarly prophesied that you will destroy my home. You, with the devil spawn Nico Robin, and the demon hunter Roronoa Zoro ..." The old man said, his nostrils flaring as he got more and more worked up as he spoke.

Usopp gave Chopper a nervous look, as if he expected a fight to break out any second, but Luffy simply laughed at Norn's statement. "I liked Fishman Island. They make the best sweets!" He remarked, then continued eating.

"You are very much like Garp, I suppose." Norn acknowledged.

"You know Gramps?" Luffy quickly asked, spitting food all over the fishman again.

"Yes. He is a humble and stolid man. He is as warm and welcoming as you are, with an equally hearty appetite." The fishman confessed. There was an honest tone to his voice as though he realised that he did not need to fear Luffy. "Though, I think he has a better head for battle." The fishman joked.

"Humble and stolid?" Luffy repeated, looking a bit confused. Nami imagined that he had no idea what the words meant, not that he might disagree with them.

"Luffy is a bit reckless." She chimed, remembering how he'd buried his feet in the cement at Arlong Park, which allowed Arlong to later drown him.

"That's our captain. He wouldn't be Luffy if he didn't play it by ear." Zoro added as he lounged back in his chair. His cool tone of voice gave the impression that he agreed with their captains way of doing things, but Zoro was much the same, so he couldn't exactly speak against him, even if Nami could recall him scolding Luffy for not taking things seriously.

"Do you never have a strategy when you go into battle?" Norn asked, completely astonished by how nonchalant both the captain and his first mate were.

Luffy simply blinked at the fishman as if he didn't understand the question, prompting Nornir to continue. "Do you not learn of your enemies strengths and weaknesses before you meet them?" He asked, truly stunned by how carefree Luffy was.

Luffy shook his head, and the fishman's eyes grew wide as he fell deeper into a state of shock.

It was true, Luffy really did always rush into things head first. Though, to his credit, he had gotten a lot better. He was able to follow the plan devised by Jinbe on Fishman Island, and he loosely stuck to Law's strategy on Punk Hazard. Nami wondered then, with the Heart Pirates gone, would they be able to deal with Kaido on their own? She doubted very much that her crew would be able to escape his wrath, and any sort of plan Law could formulate for them to gain any kind of advantage would be welcomed by her.

"Speaking of weaknesses, Mr. Norn," Robin started, raising a curious brow. "Why are you wearing a life jacket?"

"Are you a hammer?" Luffy quickly followed.

"Ah!" Norn jumped, immediately looking down to the life jacket zipped up around him. "I am. Though, my ability is nothing to be revered, I can't even use it to physically benefit myself." He said shaking his head, and the breathing a heavy sigh, seemingly a little depressed by the very thought of his ability. "It isn't an element that can be controlled." He explained awkwardly, sinking into his seat as he spoke.

"I like you, Narnia. You're funny." The Strawhat's captain laughed. "But you're pretty useless if you can control your devil fruit."

"It's Nornir." He said with an irritated click of his tongue. "And just because I can't use it on myself, that doesn't mean I can't use it on others. It is just ... it's not really an offensive devil fruit, not like yours is."

Once again, the fishman seemed to shrink as he was talking about his devil fruit. It felt as though he was ashamed of it, especially since he hadn't even told them what it was.

"May I ask how you defeated the Shichibukai, King Doflamingo, if you didn't have a strategy in place?"

'King Doflamingo' Nami repeated in her mind. It sounded as though Norn respected the man. She noticed then that every single one of her crew mates took note of Norn's question. Sanji stopped preparing food in the kitchen, and glanced over his shoulder. Robin remained still, but her eyes slowly found Zoro. Nami couldn't see him, but she knew he was wary of Nornir from the second he entered the galley.

Brook set his cup down on its saucer with a rattle, breaking the uneasy and deathly silence that had filled the room.

"What did ya say your ability was, again?" Zoro asked. There was a predatory growl to his voice, intimidating Norn into revealing his secret.

"I didn't say what it was. Though it is very good for strategically wiping out an entire crew within a split second." Everyone's hands reached for the weapons then as Nornir continued. "Let me show you, Monkey D. Luffy, just how useless my ability is."

An excruciating ringing started to chime in Nami's ears, forcing her to hold her head to lessen the pain, and her vision slowly began to blur. She blinked repeatedly, trying regain some clarity as darkness crept into the corners of her mind. Then, before Nami's eyes, the whole crew vanished from the table. All that remained was Luffy sitting to her left, and the fishman, Nornir sitting opposite, sneering.

She reached out for Luffy, unable to grasp him as darkness took her.


	5. Crux: Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece.

Nami stirred. The strong smell of grass and foliage quickly filled her nose. That, mixed with the sea air caused her foggy mind to question if she was on the lawn deck or not, but as she opened her eyes she knew that was not the case.

She was on a verge of a woodland, not too far from a town. The ringing in her ears was dissipating, allowing her to hear the gentle bustle of a nearby market. Nami pushed herself up, and though her vision was still slightly hazy, she recognised the town instantly, she would know it anywhere. She was back in Cocoyashi Village.

Nami scurried to her feet and rushed to the outskirts of the village, hissing with pain as the wounds on her inner thighs chafed together. She hid behind one of shops, 'I have to be careful.' Nami thought to herself, sweeping a stray orange tendril out of her face. With her recent experiences with her memories, there was no telling exactly _when_ it was.

As she peeked her head around the corner, it was clear that she was in a much earlier year. The street was fairly busy with people, and the wooden shops and stalls were showing little signs of disrepair, not like that had when Arlong had reeked havoc upon the village. Most of the people paid their patronage to Arlong on time, but when they didn't, he would skitter into the village square and make an example out of who ever had not paid up, sacking their stall or completely wrecking the shop front. On the odd occasion, he would raze a building to ground, but only when he feared mutiny amongst the villagers.

Brightly coloured bunting was strung up high on the coconut trees above the main road. It zigzagged back and forth over the tops of the buildings, gently fluttering in the warm breeze that blew in from the coast. Towards the harbour, Nami could see the greengrocer smiling happily in conversation with the village fishmonger. The fisherman strolled the streets as he offered his produce for sale or trade, chatting or smiling pleasantly at every person he passed. It felt as though the residents of Cocoyashi had hardly a care in the world.

It was peaceful and calm, and as beautiful as she remembered it. Nami admired the village with such an effusive fondness it caused a wave of memories to flood her mind, and the nostalgia caused Nami's knees to give out beneath her, and she sank to ground as tears welled in her eyes.

She was home, except she wasn't. Even though she was there, present in Cocoyashi, it wasn't _her_ home, it wasn't _her_ time, and that made her feel terribly homesick.

Nami had wanted to return to Cocoyashi village for quite some time, but never knew if she would ever see her home again, and if she did, Nami knew it was going be in the distant future. That thought poised a question; When in time _was_ she? What year was it, exactly? A realisation hit Nami then that caused her stomach to flutter with excitement, but also made her feel as though she had been punched in the chest with a tremendous force; Was Bellmere still alive?

Nami couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks as she asked herself that question. She longed to speak with her mother, there was so much she needed to tell her, so much she wanted to ask. But if the opportunity were to arise, _could_ she? If Bellmere was alive, would Nami even be able to talk to her. She knew she couldn't explain who she was, but if she saw her mother in person, would she become too overwhelmed and unable to get her words out?

Those tormenting questions pained Nami like a pair of hands squeezing tightly around her neck. She couldn't breathe properly, she couldn't swallow. A chance was standing before her that she never imagined would ever be possible, it was always just a childish fantasy that she toyed with every time she felt proud of herself, or on the rare occasions when she questioned if what she was doing was right.

What might it mean if she had a conversation with her mother? Could she warn her about what would happen in the future, or would it infer some sort of paradox?

Had she warned her? Nami found herself wondering. They'd always been so horribly poor, it was a miracle that Bellmere even had enough money to save both hers and Nojiko's lives. The thought gave her the tiniest bit of hope, even if knowing that a warning would not change anything, it might still mean she could talk to Bellmere. Nami wiped her right forearm across her face to dry her eyes, determined to find the answers to all the thoughts running through her mind. Nami knew that if she saw her, she'd have a better idea of what to do.

Someone hurried passed her then, kicking up the dry dirt from the road, and sending a familiar earthy smell into the air. More than reminding Nami of all of the times she had tripped on the old road, playing happily with Nojiko, the more prominent memory that smell evoked was of the time when her sister tackled her to the ground in the square, right after she had just announced to the villagers that she had joined Arlong's crew for money.

She could picture the people looming over her in disgust. Some of the women had covered their mouths at Nami's revelation, heartbreak swimming in their eyes as they regarded the venal child who abandoned her mother the moment she left this world. The scent reminded her of that fateful day, and the pain of hearing Genzo's disapproving voice, asking her to never show her face in the village again.

She had forgiven the people of Cocoyashi for their actions that day, she couldn't not. It was simply because Nami couldn't involve them, she couldn't risk them knowing the truth of her deal. She was alone in her endeavour, and it was better that way. They couldn't know her motive, and so they acted accordingly. Despite knowing that, pain still lingered. She could vividly remember the bitter loneliness that followed. Only Nojiko knew the truth in her mind.

Now, she was grateful for how the people of Cocoyashi had reacted to her. It proved just how much they cared for Bellmere, and over time, Nami was able to harden to their cold behaviour. Nami believed that there was only one way she could stop herself from breaking down as she walked through the deserted streets of the village. She created an impenetrable shell around herself, a mental defence, so nothing, and no one could hurt her. It was how she managed to keep her integrity through all the scorn and alienation. In the end, their behaviour made her stronger, it helped her to survive, and not just on the Conomi Islands, but throughout the enitre East Blue.

In her shell, Nami shielded her vulnerable heart, never letting anyone close enough to see or feel her warmth, and never giving up the hope that she could free the village from Arlong's 'protection'. Through the cold persona Nami had started to play, it gave her equanimity. She was able to endure the icy atmosphere of Cocoyashi, and the frost-bitten spirits of its residents. She learnt how to shelter herself from their contempt, eventually even capable of taking sanctuary in being called a witch.

Morality was blurred. Nami came to understand that good and bad were simply a matter of opinion, but she couldn't easily dismiss her own conscience. That was why she choose the dangerous path of stealing from pirates, she was easily able to betray her targets, stealing all she could from them when the moment was right. Nami told herself that everything she did was to free her village, but even so, she could never bring herself to steal from honest folk.

The frigid portrayal of herself obviously still had some weaknesses, but despite its flaws it still helped Nami to brave the company of Arlong and his crew. It endeared her to him in a way, and secured her position amongst his crew, perhaps a little too much in the end as he never intended to uphold his end of their bargain and let her go free. _"You're special, Nami. You're our greatest cartographer."_ Arlong had told her on more than one occasion, and wanted to keep her close for more than her cartography skills. He believed Nami to be cold and cruel, often commenting on how she abandoned her mother for money. He thought that riches were paramount to her, and through that basis they were alike. They were nothing alike, and her hosility towards Arlong and the fishmen was often difficult to hide.

In spite of her act, and trying to not let anyone get close, Nami cried as she left the Baratie, and abandoned the Strawhat crew after stealing Luffy's ship and loot. It was the first time she had allowed herself to cry since her mothers death. Her impregnable defences had been thoroughly breached, and she sincerely wished that she could meet the crew again. Much as she did then, right in that moment. She wished to see her nakama again.

Nami smiled softly at the thought of them, and took comfort in knowing that these surreal flashbacks never lasted too long. Luffy would defeat Nornir, and she would be back on the Thousand Sunny in no time at all.

Nami then lifted her head, just in time to catch a glimpse a young girl with rich lavender blue hair, in a turquoise pinafore dress stroll passed her. 'Nojiko!' She instantly assumed and wanted to call out to the girl, but refrained. How would she explain knowing her?

She poked her head around the corner of the building she was hiding behind, just in time to see the girl duck into one of homes along the main street.

It was Nojiko, and Nami smiled with excitement at the realisation. She did desperately want to speak with her sister, but it simply wasn't possible. Nojiko had just entered Genzo's home, and there were never any outsiders within the village, he would surely be suspicious of her. The people of both Cocoyashi and Gosa were very familiar to Nojiko and herself because Bellmere's mikan grove was set between the two, so it wasn't as if Nami could pretend to be from the neighbouring village.

Before Nami had time to formulate any basis for a conversation, the shrill cry of "Pirates!" began to resound throughout the village, and hysteria ensnared the people. The villagers abandoned their stalls and stands, and ran back and forth in a fit of panic, trying to warn as many people as possible to the impending danger.

Nami watched as her younger self and Nojiko left Genzo's house and fled in the woodlands behind the village. "No." She whispered, her lips falling to a deep frown through finally coming to know the exact moment in time in which she had arrived in Cocoyashi.

"It's the Arlong's Pirates!" A woman shrieked as she fled along the road, away from the harbour as a large pirate ship practically ran aground as it crashed into the docks.

Nami once again poked her head around the corner to look down the main street. Her heart sank as she set her eyes on Arlong, the saw-shark captain.

"This village, no … this entire island will be under my control." Arlong laughed.

* * *

Luffy stretched towards Nami in a desperate attempt to grab her hand. The fear on her face was reminiscent of when she had called to him on Sabaody, only much worse. He knew that she needed him, and he hated that once again he was powerless to stop what was happening to her, and the rest of his crew.

Her eyes had fluttered shut before her hand touched his. He did reach her in time, Luffy knew he did, only he couldn't feel her. There was a slight tingling sensation to his skin, like a feather had glided across his palm as Nami's hand passed through his as though she were a ghost. 'What has Narnia done to her?'

Rage started to boil up in the Strawhat's captain, like he'd just swallowed a hot coal that was painfully burning his insides. His right hand turned black with haki as his anger smouldered within him. "Gomu gomu no ..." He seethed lowly through clenched teeth, "Jet Pistol!" Luffy shouted, sending the fishman flying into the kitchen.

He crashed into the cooker, whacking the back of his head on the extractor fan above it, denting both that and the over door below. Luffy stretched his arms to drag the fishman back, and pin him against the breakfast bar. "Narnia, you bastard! What the hell have you done to my nakama?"

"Ha... ha." The fishman struggled to laugh, coughing up a spray of blood as he chuckled. "I sent ... your navigator back to the most pivotal point in her life." He explained through deep breaths, wheezing and struggling to keep his eyes open.

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked, frustrated that he didn't understand at all. 'What was pivotal point? Was it an island he hadn't heard of?' He wondered as he tightened his grip on the fishman's lifebelt and pushed him hard against the counter top beneath him. 'How could Narnia send Nami somewhere? Was he like Kuma?'

"I've seen her memories." The fishman sneered, saving his strength and not bothering to fight Luffy's hold in favour of gloating. "I've seen all of their memories actually," He continued to explain, coughing intermittently. "Without her, it would have just been the Pirate Hunter and yourself, and you would have both died long ago, having never left the East Blue if it wasn't for her extraordinary navigational and meteorological skills."

"I need all of my nakama!" Luffy argued. They were all important to him in their own way, personally and professionally. He had risked his life for all of them, and would do it over and over again. He wouldn't be able to have his adventures without each and every one of them, and he wouldn't want to either.

"Yes, but without her you would never have meet any of them." The fishman laughed. "All she has to do is intervene, and all of this will be undone." He said, motioning with his head and eyes to everything around them.


	6. Crux: Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If something is in italic, then it is Nami remembering someone's words. Just incase that isn't too clear.
> 
> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece.

Nami gritted her teeth in anger, then turned to duck behind the side of the building again, out of view of the main street and the Fishmen Pirates who had just arrived. She felt as though she was trapped in a nightmare, but one that no amount of screaming could hope to wake her up from.

She hated Arlong. Despite now knowing how the race of fishmen had been persecuted at the hands of humans, and discriminated against, she couldn't feel any compassion for him. Nothing he had endured could justify the unbearable cruelty he unleashed on the Conomi Islands.

Nami squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that somehow if she closed them tight enough everything would just disappear into the black behind her eyes. She remained hidden from sight, dizzy with rage, and sick with panic. Her head began to throb painfully as her heart pounded in her chest, and started thundering in her ears, drowning out all the chaos in the village. The wounds on her stomach and inner thighs burned as a result of the blood pumping faster through her system.

Nami took a few deep breaths to cool her anger. She knew she couldn't act rashly. The fishman's strength, that tremendous power she had witnessed as a child was very much as real now as it ever was. As she calmed herself a little, Nami was then able to hear the villagers screaming as they initially resisted the pirates, and that same fear that had been planted in her heart by Arlong so long ago, once again began to grow.

Nami tried not to hate her cowardice. That fear and sense of helplessness that the fishman had instilled in her was certainly a good thing; a practical device, she tried to remind herself. It was why she made her deal Alrong. She saw what the fishmen were capable of, and even as a ten year old child she knew better than to fight. Her fear was a good thing. It had kept her, and the rest of Cocoyashi village alive.

Still, despair bloomed in her heart like a burgeoned bramble bush, bearing black fruit of hatred, anguish and contempt. Its thorny stems and branches entwined themselves around her heart, paralysing her with her own memories of pain.

Nami reached for her right hip, and as she did, one of the prickly branches ensnaring her seemed to squeeze a little more tightly around her heart, and a suffocating spike of fear pierced through her; she did not have her Clima-Tact.

Nami's eye's started to well up as she remembered just what Kurobi did to Gen-san. Even as an adult, Nami doubted her strength would be anywhere near his, and without her Clima-Tact she was completely defenceless.

"Arlong-san," She heard one of the fishman start to speak. "There's a house behind the village. I can see smoke coming from over there."

'Bellmere-san!' Nami screamed in her mind, furious that the fishmen had spotted the smoke, and riddled with the suffocating stress of what was she knew about to happen.

She hurried into the woodlands close by, taking a shortcut to the back road leading to her childhood home. Nami could see Nojiko and her younger self not too far ahead, so she kept back and out of sight, ducking into the bushes when Doctor Nako appeared on the road to halt their advance.

'What can I do?' She panicked. She was torn between offering the girls aid, and the prospect of what might happen if she did. Even if she could offer them refuge from Arlong and his crew, that wouldn't stop the Fishmen Pirates, it would not stop Bellmere. Their mother was unaware that they were hiding around back, on the verge of fleeing the island when they heard her refuse to say that they were not her children.

Helping her younger self and Nojiko now wouldn't change a thing, it would not save Bellmere.

Nami stared into the distance, flitting between Bellmere's mikan trees, searching for an answer. When her eyes drifted towards the front of her home, that awful feeling of helplessness washed over her again, and anxiety quickly bore its fangs. The pain she felt was as excruciating as a rat gnawing at her insides. Her chest felt tight, making it difficult to breathe, but despite that constricting sensation, Nami felt as though she was slowly falling apart.

'I can't do this again.' She internally screamed. Nami could see the fishmen bulging around the side of the house, huddled near the front porch. It was already too late to get Bellmere out, and her fears were quickly confirmed by the shrill cry of pain that came from her mother's lips.

Nami's knees gave out from under her as she heard Bellmere's agonising wail. She felt like she could be sick at any moment, but nothing seemed to want to come up. 'How can I know exactly what is going to happen, yet still be powerless to do anything about it?'

She managed to drag herself to her feet again, and watch Doctor Nako talking to Nojiko and her younger self. Nami knew he was telling them that they had to leave the village, that it was the only way that Nojiko and herself, and Bellmere would survive. Her heart broke for the second time at the thought of leaving Bellmere.

"I understand, let's go, Nami." Nojiko said to the younger Nami.

She still admired her sister's strength in that moment. She loved Bellmere, and even though she may have said that she wished to be adopted by someone else, that was solely because she didn't want to be a burden to someone she loved so much. She simply wished for Bellmere to be happy, and at the time, she did not realise that her and Nojiko were that happiness.

'I have to do something.' Nami thought to herself. She cast her eyes back and forth throughout the trees, then along the back of the wooden house, looking for pruning shears, or any kind of tool; something suitable she could use as a weapon.

"That's the share for my two daughters. I don't have enough to cover myself." Bellmere's confident voice announced.

Nami's head snapped up as she heard those words leave her mother's lips. It had been so long since she'd heard Bellmere's actual voice, and the sound was enough to crush her.

"Even if it costs me my life." Bellmere continued, adding to the devastating thought already running through her head. 'I am too late.'

The memory of this moment still stung, even now. Nami thought the pain of that day had been gently washed away, but as she looked on she realised that it was obviously just laying low beneath the surface, like a dangerous predator stalking her from the depths, waiting to consume her.

'Can I survive her death a second time?' Nami asked herself.

She got up instantly, wanting to run to Bellmere with her sister and her other self, but she managed to stop herself, remembering her mother's words.

_"Nojiko, Nami, don't give up."_

As much as she wanted to, Nami couldn't go to her.

_"No matter what happens, don't hate the era you were born in."_

They didn't even know who she was, she wasn't supposed to be there, she couldn't intervene.  
'I'm not meant to be here.'

_"Don't forget that you always have the strength to smile."_

If she let the fishman know that there was someone else in the village, they would want patronage from her, too, and she didn't have any belli. Acting now could cause her own untimely death, or get all three of them murdered by the Fishmen Pirates.

_"As long as you keep on living, great things will happen."_

And great things had happened, Nami remembered; incredible things.

"Your maps?" She heard her mother's strained voice ask over the sound of the chuckling Fishmen Pirates. "That's right, Nami. You have to follow your dream."

And Nami was following her dream.

 ** _"Nami. You are my nakama now!"  
_** Her captains declaration resounded through her mind as tears streamed down her cheeks, and she bit down hard on her bottom lip to stop herself from sobbing loudly. She could picture him clearly, standing atop the rumble of Arlong Park. 'That is how this is meant to end.' Nami told herself.

"Stay alive." She heard Bellmere tell Nojiko and her younger self.

 _'Don't apologise for the life I've had.'_ Nami remembered herself telling Jinbe. _'I do not regret it, and I'm having a lot of fun now.'_

The great things Bellmere had promised that the future held for her were true. If she intervened in any way, Nami realised she could undo everything. 'I am living the life she wanted for me.' Nami tried to reassure herself, using every bit of strength she possessed to restrain herself.

"Nojiko, Nami, I love you!"

"Die for your pathetic love." Arlong ordered. And as the gun shot sounded, Nami saw her own life flash before her eyes.

Every victory the Strawhat's had claimed, every toast she'd made with her nakama at every feast.  
She knew this was the only was to fulfil Bellmere's wish for her to smile again.  
She knew this was the only way to for Cocoyashi Village to be free.  
Yet, her heart still broke knowing she had just let her mother die.


	7. Fortitude: Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece.

She'd ordered a drink from the forgettable barmaid, ignored the patrons inside the tavern, and headed straight for the beer garden, paying no mind to the scenery outside. Nami was sitting at a small wooden table by the water's edge, staring blankly into a murky green pond. She swept a stray orange tendril behind her right ear, and her hand caught on the collar of one of Bellmere's shirts that she was wearing.

She looked down at her attire, and gently brushed her fingers over the denim covering her wounded legs. It felt strange to be dressed in her mother's clothes. The scent of the garments reminded her of her youth, of the hard but happy times she'd spend with Bellmere and Nojiko. It was a heartbreaking, and constant reminder of what had happened a few days ago, of how her life had been completely turned upside down; twice. But, Nami had no choice but to wear them. They far more practical than the khaki green dress she had been wearing, and she needed to be able to move easily if she planned to escape, planned to survive.

Her eyes drifted from off of her outfit and fixed on the water grass swaying in the gentle breeze, growing peacefully despite the litter that was tangled within it.

'At least I managed to get free from there.' She thought to herself, knowing how lucky she was for successfully fleeing Conomi the night that the Fishman Pirates had invaded the island, the night of Bellmere's death.

It at been no easy feat navigating the pitch black, perilous waters to the north of the island, half drunk, and in a leaky fishing boat she'd been fortunate enough to find discarded amongst the palm trees, not too far from the shore.

The boat took on too much water and sank before she reached the next island. Nami grabbed what she could, and managed the exhausting swim to land in maybe a couple of hour. Those minutes had felt like days, and with all the extra baggage emotionally weighing her down, Nami was surprised that she had made the wearying journey it at all.

Since that day everything had felt surreal to her, as though she was trapped in a dream that she had given up all hope of ever escaping. However, her dreams now were far worse than her waking life.

Emotionally, she felt numb. Too much had happened, too much was still happening, and Nami was unable to process everything rationally, or positively. She kept telling herself to keep on going, and that her sadness would pass, but she struggled to see a time when she would not be burdened by it. She knew she needed to shut down introspectively if she was to handle it all, so she did, to a degree. She tried to compartmentalise everything in order to concentrate on her immediate survival, but despite how hard she tried to block out what had transpired, every night her subconscious mind would force her to relive her time on Cocoyashi three days ago.

Nami felt more alone now than she ever had, uncertain if she could ever return home, and trapped in time without a single ally. She was certain that her previous experiences with her memories had only lasted minutes, possibly hours, but it was now the forth day since she had been plunged into this one. Had Luffy not managed to defeat the fishman, Nornir? Was she going to be stuck in her past, unable to return home?

That question tormented her terribly, but it was a far easier subject for her mind to mull over than the other thing that was plaguing her, the one thing she was desperately trying to shut out of her thoughts; she let Bellmere die.

It was different this time, as a child she had no choice, she was powerless to stop Arlong.

Nami knew that even now she would still be outmatched by him, nevermind the rest of his pirate crew.  
She knew that she had done the right thing by allowing history to take its natural course.  
Still, the agonising truth haunted her; she had done nothing, she didn't even attempt to save her mother's life, and Nami doubted whether or not she would ever be able to forgive herself for that.

Though it was no delusion, no amount of telling herself that she was living the life Bellmere wanted for her was able to alleviate her grief and guilt over choosing not to act.

There was a restlessness within her now that seemed to sap all of her strength, making her travelling difficult and sleep near impossible. She was determined to survive, but her cognitive functions were failing her due to the heavy, burning sensation in her chest. Her thoughts seemed muddled. Her mind constantly replayed what happened three day ago, what had happened ten years ago, and when her memories were not haunting her she felt confused and desolate, which was making even the simplest of tasks and decisions much harder to make. No matter how hard she tried to shut out Bellmere's death, she felt the loss of her everyday, within every inch of her, and she was struggling to come to terms with it.

When she tried to remember how she had coped in the past it only made her more despondent.

She had purpose last time. She had hope.  
The lives of the people of Cocoyashi depended on her, and she was determined to not let them down, to not let them die in vain.

Now though, now she was sure that her fate lay in the hands of her captain, and though she had complete faith in him, the fact that she was utterly helpless to do anything about her current situation was frustrating.

Everything depended on Luffy.

Being stranded on Weatheria was entirely different. She was able to study there, to make herself stronger, and wiser. She also had a Vivre card to guide her back to Sabaody.

There wasn't a logpose or Vivre card that could help her navigate time itself.

She was shrewd and resourceful, and was finding it extremely difficult to deal with feeling redundant. There was no place for her in that world, but there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. She couldn't give herself a goal to distract her mind other than to survive, and then her mother's words would come back to her, "As long as you keep on living great things will happen. Stay alive." Bellmere's order would always bring her back full circle.  
'How could I have allowed her to die?'

Nami inhaled sharply as falling leaf snatched her attention through her blurred vision. She blinked her tears away as it landed on the skin of the pond water, watching as it send a gentle ripple to flutter across the surface, growing in size the further it got from the epicentre, and forcing her to draw a connection to it.

She was the leaf, and time was the water's surface. Anything she did, no matter how big or small, could have serious consequences in the future. Effectively, she could create a time paradox by simply talking with the wrong person, and destroying everything she had ever known.

The gravity of that knowledge was overwhelming, and was urging her to choose exile. It would be for the best, she was certain.

Nami exhaled a deep sigh as she thought about her immediate future, and looked at the same glass of rum and coke she'd been nursing since she disembarked her transport, deep within The Red Line where she presumed she could find sanctuary.

She felt she would be safe there. Nami decided she had no choice but to leave the East Blue. She had too many connections there, there were too many lives she could effect, too many futures she could accidentally undo. She couldn't ever recall having met someone from the Red Line, so Nami was sure that it would be safe to take refuge there. Now she was there, she had no clue as to where to go, or what she should do.

She swilled her drink around its container, contemplating whether or not she should down the alcohol and order another. She yearned for the catharsis of getting incoherently drunk, the hope of being able to forget what she witnessed three days ago, but her lack of funds wouldn't allow it, and she wasn't feeling social enough to convince someone to buy any drinks for her.

The sun suddenly drifted from behind the clouds, illuminating the murky pond's depths, and giving the water a hue that reminded Nami acid, making her feel nauseated.

If she didn't know any better, Nami might have thought that she had consumed acid. She kept giving her rum and coke the occasional questioning glance as though it may be so, but she knew her sickness was something else. It was loneliness, guilt and regret, and an additional malady.

She was sick, and in need of medical attention. Nami had been feeling feverish for days, and her heart rate had not settled properly since Arlong had taken her mother's life. Her jaw ached. Nami initially thought it was through the amount of sobbing she did that day, but when the ache lingered she knew it was something a little more serious. There was also stiffening sensation that had now settled in her legs, and a series of sporadic muscle spasms that let her know that more was amiss than the throe of losing Bellmere again.

All of her ailments were not something she could identify with, which also helped Nami to decide against drinking too much. Walking was becoming increasingly difficult, and the added effects of the alcohol would surely make her stability worse, not to mention any other mental or physical repercussions it may have. Nami knew she needed treatment, and treatment meant belli. She wished now that she had borrowed a little more money from Gen-san. A bushel of mikans traded for twenty thousand belli and a couple of bottles of sake already left Genzo a little short-handed, not that he was present to complain when Nami made the trade. Still, she couldn't have borrowed anymore from him, he would need it to buy protection from Alrong, and she felt guilty enough already for taking money from him that she knew he would blame on Bellmere.

She knew she would have to get money from somewhere. Her passage from Loguetown to the Redline had cost her more belli than she could spare, and there was an emotion toll to that journey as well.

_The heavens opened up, bringing a heavy shower of rain to remind Nami of the last time she set sail from Loguetown. She was fleeing now, in many ways, just as the Strawhat crew were leaving then to evade Smoker. Only this time she knew she would not escape._   
_There was no running from her own thoughts, and the things she had let come to pass._

_The Strawhat's navigator leant forward against the handrail of the large ferry, propping her chin on her hand, and casting her eyes out to sea as the ship's crew scurried around to make the final preparations for departure. She could feel the atmospheric pressure continue to drop as the depression moved to settle over the harbour, and she turned to watch the deckhands as they picked up their pace as the storm clouds darkened and the winds picked up speed, quickly getting the ship underway before it was too dangerous to set sail._

_Her thoughts turned to Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji and herself, toasting the Going Merry's entry onto The Grand Line in the pouring rain, and declaring the dreams they all wished to accomplish._

_Her dream was now shrouded, a distant memory like freedom and happiness, all seemingly as unattainable as they were the last time she sailed the seas of this time. Still, Nami found that she would always smile at the thought of her crew. It was a genuine smile born from hope. She had faith that her captain would do all he could to ensure her return, she just hoped it would be sooner rather than later. They were her family now, and Nami was beginning to miss the Strawhat crew terribly._

_She could see all five of them standing before her with their heels resting on a barrel of rum. Each of them was so full of pride, filled with hope, and drunk of the romance of adventure._

_They appeared to her now like ghosts, silvery wisps of shining pearl; a happy, gleaming memory that she was terrified to see._

_What if she never saw any of them again?_

_The sooner she was out of the East Blue, away from places that could remind her of the Strawhats, the better. Nami needed to stay strong. She did not need to see her peaceful or pleasant memories, reminding her of what she was without.  
_

_'Who knows how long it will be until I return to them.'_

* * *

Nami felt a light sprinkling of rain on her face, drawing her thoughts back to the present, just in time before it began to pour down.

She downed her drink in one mouthful and a spell of nausea hit her again. She remembered in that moment what was the most important thing she needed to do. The sickness in her stomach, and the stiffness in her legs reminded her as she got up from off her seat.

She gathered her things and headed inside the tavern to take shelter, and get one more drink before she would be on her way.


	8. Fortitude: Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece.

The heavy tavern door slammed behind her with an accompanying clap of thunder as she entered. Not a single patron looked up at the sudden sound, they were obviously locals, and used to the door crashing shut whenever someone walked in. Still, it was alarming loud, and astonishing that it didn't disturb the melancholic trance Nami was in when she first passed through to the beer garden.

Nami deduced that the storms were a regular, perhaps daily occurrence too, and that was the reason why none of the patrons were roused by the thunder, either. Through her meteorological knowledge, Nami knew that her location on Red Line would be subject to mid afternoon storms, due to the converging sea breezes from the North and East Blue.

The entire Red Line would be prone to them, except for the strips of land that separated the Calm Belt.

She cast her eyes to the ground as she began to make her way to the bar, concentrating firmly on her gait, ensuring her footsteps were solid and steady. Her thigh muscles ached, and the wounds on her legs burned, but she hid her pain and kept her expression as neutral as possible as she walked.

To her relief, no one within the tavern so much as looked at Nami as she made her way across the room. She needed to not stand out, and to be easily forgotten. Surely it would not bode well if anyone remembered her, she was not meant to be there after all, and a woman with bright orange hair and a conspicuous walk was something effortlessly rememberable.

A bright flash of lightning illuminated the room, urging Nami to glance around the ale house as she ambled to the counter to get another drink. The tavern was warm and welcoming, and how Nami had managed to stroll through it earlier without appreciating its homeliness was beyond her.

Its walls and supports looked to be made out of red oak, with cherry wood covering the floods, ceiling, and the ceiling beams. Amber lanterns were hanging from the walls and support pillars, glowing brightly to battle the dark and gloomy sky that polluted its windows.

Three ale barrels about six foot in diameter were lay side by side, and stretched the length of the wall to her left, leading to a cherry wood staircase. In front of the barrels lay a long table covered in candles. It almost spanned the length of the room, from the bar to the back door, and there must have been forty chairs set around it. Only five of the seats were filled with customers, who were drinking in solitary, sitting well away from one and other.

To the left of the bar opposite her, was the staircase at the end of the barrels. It ascended clockwise behind the counter, leading to an interior balcony upstairs. Nami spotted a white garment overhanging the edge of the handrail, and heard the low mutter of several voices, deep in conversation from the upper floor. She paid them no mind as she continued on her way, examining the secluded, yet empty booths that hugged the right wall, beneath the low balcony. Their oxblood, leather covered seats looked to be more comfortable than any other in tavern, so Nami found it odd that no one was sitting there, or at any of the smaller tables that filled the right hand side of the room.

In the very centre of the tavern, a wood fuelled fire blazed cheerily on a bed of white powdered ash, ready to warm any saturated patrons that stepped through the doors. The large, open, rectangular hearthstone was high enough to sit around, and stretched parallel to the long table, just shy of its length. Nami did her best to move by it quickly, she didn't need the extra heat on her legs, it would only cause her more discomfort and pain.

In her haste, she stumbled slightly, but no one, save for the doughy woman behind the bar so much as spared her a glance.

The barmaid pushed a curtain of mousy hair behind her ear and smiled sweetly at Nami as she slowly stepped forward. "Rum and coke, please." Nami asked, and put her belongings on the stool next to her, then perched herself on the nearest one. She didn't want to sit down properly, she feared the pain of trying to stand up again.

As much as she didn't want to outright ask, Nami felt like she had no choice. "Is there a doctors surgery close by?" She dared to inquire, just as a flash of lightning lit up the room.

"Aye. Next t' cutlers on the way t' market." The woman explained over a loud rumbling of thunder. Nami was quite taken aback by the _A_ in market. It was more of an 'argh', as though the woman may have been startled by the roar of the storm.

Of course, Nami didn't know where the market was, never mind the cutlers, but she thought it best to not as too many questions that would give her away as an outsider. Just the one query could hopefully be forgotten.

By the time Nami had relaxed on her stool, the barmaid had mixed her drink, and was sliding it towards her. "That' be three hundred belli, love." The woman requested in a peculiar accent. The _O_ of the word love sounded more like a harsh _A_ , and it grated on Nami's nerves. 'It wasn't the thunder then.' She thought to herself, and hoped the accent wasn't something she would have to adopt if she was to stay in the area for a while, and be seen as a villager.

Nami reluctantly rummaged through her coin purse. That was three hundred belli she really shouldn't be spending, and she grimaced as she handed over the bills. The barmaid didn't seem to notice Nami's sour expression, though. Her dimples were deep as she accepted the money, and her smile was grateful, giving Nami the impression that perhaps the woman was the proprietor.

'If inns and roadhouses are great sources of information ...' Nami wondered herself. If this woman did own the place then she may be very knowledgeable of the surrounding areas, and privy to things that most are not. Nami decided to take a stab in the dark, "It's unusually quite today."

"That time again." The barmaid said, her smile falling for the first time since Nami at seated herself at the bar. She grabbed a cloth and dragged it back and forth across the wooden surface, making a show of cleaning, though the bar was spotless. "Everyone's down at' harbour." She frowned.

Nami closed her eyes, and took a sip of her drink as she listened to the barmaid. She didn't want to be openly rude and roll her eyes every time the woman butchered the pronunciation of a vowel. She was weary and her drink was making her feel sick again, so it seemed politer to pretend she was tired by shutting her eyes and nodding in acknowledgement of what the barmaid was saying.

"It's a-" The woman started, but stopped instantly as the front door swung open. Nami looked up and saw a scowling, petite, salt and pepper haired woman, wrapped in a soaking wet navy blue trench coat step through the door. Her fuliginous eyes fixed on the woman behind the bar, and her frown remained as she immediately began to march over to them.

As Nami watched, she felt a tremor shake her jaw. She quickly turned her head, rested her elbows on the bar, and propped her chin on her hands to disguise the quake. 'Not again.' She cursed as yet another symptom of her ailment emerged. 'I should probably leave that.' She decided, glancing at her drink as she began to gather her things.

The petite woman moved behind her, and stopped at her left hand side. The barmaid said nothing, but out of the corner of her eye, Nami saw her nod to the upper floor. She placed her cloth on the bar then headed towards the stairs, and the woman at Nami's side followed her.

Though Nami knew that her senses had not been as keen recently, she could clearly feel that there was something a little odd about that greeting. Once the barmaid and the woman in the navy coat disappeared from Nami's view, she looked up again to the interior balcony. From her position in the room she could see nothing, save for the white item of clothing that was slung over the handrail. Only this time, she could see golden yellow tassels peeking out from beneath a section of the fabric, which she immediately recognised as the trimming of a military shoulder board.

'Marines!' Her mind screamed, and the bottom of her stomach seemed to fall out in an instant. She shot up from her bar stool, grabbed bag, and quickly made for the front door.

Nami had gotten a couple of paces away before she realised that she had nothing to fear. 'They will not be interested in me.' She told herself. She did not have a bounty yet. It was a comforting realisation. 'One less thing for me to worry about.' She thought as she sighed with relief.

Her awareness snapped to the upper floor when she heard the screeching of chairs dragging across the floor, and a scrambling of feet stomping to attention.

"Report." She heard a stern, female voice order.

"The final preparations are being made, Ma'am. The stuffing is taking place as we speak, and some cargo is still in transit. The estimation for embarkation is sun down." A man replied quickly in a flat tone.

"The combatants?" The same woman asked.

"There is a squadron just off shore, Ma'am, beyond the surf line." Another man said. His voice sounded a little more at ease to Nami that the first man's reply did. "We haven't had any walk-in reports, and our intelligence doesn't indicate an attack."

"Where are the stowage plans?" The woman inquired, apparently not bothering to acknowledge the man's closing statement.

"The foreman has them until the stuffing is complete, Ma'am."

Nami noticed that the sky was brightening again, and when she spotted the barmaid coming back down the stairs, she decided that now would be a good time to leave the tavern. She had the information she needed. Even if she had no idea where them market was, at least she knew that the doctors surgery was on the way there.

* * *

Nami's heart beat so fiercely in her chest that is was almost painful. Her legs were already weak, but neither her illness, nor the long walk to the harbour were the reason she needed help to stand up in foreman's office. She dropped to the floor as she examined the piece of paper that was in her hands. It was quite possibly one of the greatest things she had ever laid her eyes upon.

She knew that after leaving the tavern she should have headed straight for the local doctor's surgery, but the atmosphere in the alehouse was a little too strange for her liking. With all the local patrons sitting on the opposite side of the room to the marines, it made Nami think that the conversation she overheard was surely meant to be somewhat sub rosa, making her feel that she couldn't not investigate the harbour.

So, Nami turned into the wind, and made the tiring trek to the coastline.

Her mind did not torment her as she walked. Thankfully, it couldn't stray too far from the physical pain she was in, and was constantly reminding her to seek aid sooner rather than later.

The route she had taken lead her to a slightly elevated section of the bay, enabling her to get a decent view of the ship that was moored at the harbour. Nami had never seen anything like it before. It was a beautiful fluyt, with a dragon figurehead.

The dragon was painted jade green, and its legs protruded from the front of the ship. Though the sun was slowing reclining, the dragons claws glistened in its light, making Nami sure that they were made of pure gold. Its wings spanned half the length of the ship, decorating the hull with its intricately painted, gilded green appendages.

It was a truly beautiful vessel. Nami thought it was a little too ostentatious for the marines, and her suspicions were confirmed as she got closer.

Though the sails of all three masts were furled, Nami could see dark patches towards their centre. The Marine's symbol was blue and slender, so she knew that dark mark had to be the insignia of the World Government. After realising that, and obtaining the stowage plan that was now in her hands, Nami had no regrets about what she was about to do.

'Gold' Her heart sang to her with every beat, over and over again.

The ship was loaded with it.

Nami wanted to steal it all, to take it back to Cocoyashi and stash it beneath Bellmere's mikan grove for her younger self to find. Unfortunately, she knew that she couldn't do that. The ten year old Nami that she could still vividly remember being; she counted every belli that she stole, on every trip, and ensured that her haul tallied upon her return to the village after ever voyage. She had no memories of a mysterious amount of treasure turning up, so she couldn't possibly do anything to help them.

She tried not to think about all the ways she could help the Conomi Islands with the amount of treasure the stowage plan showed. It was heartbreaking to think about the substantial financial difference it could make to the lives of the people she loved.

'I will only take what I need to survive.' Nami told herself, trying not to let her greed get the better of her. 'I need to cover my medical fees, food and luxurious shelter for an unknown amount of time.' She comforted herself, feeling her excitement grow at the prospect of stealing a rather large haul.

Nami did not feel an ounce of guilt for planning to steal from the World Government. It was not like she was taking from ordinary people who would sorely miss their money. 'This is the Government.' she reminded herself. It wasn't as if the treasure was there to support families. It would never be missed, and was probably insured.

She was wounded, so she was well aware that the theft, and her escape would be a lot more difficult than usual; which was partly the reason she didn't plan to take too much. Still, Nami was confident in her abilities, and was positive that she would not get caught.

"Gold!" She breathed with a trill of excitement, and headed out as stealthily as she could towards the treasure ship.


	9. Fortitude: Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece

_"Die for you pathetic love." Arlong laughed darkly as he pulled the trigger, ending her mother's life._

_As Nami saw her bright adventures with the Strawhats flash before her eyes, reminding her that she was fulfilling Bellmere's wish for her to live, and smile again, a suffocating darkness quickly seemed to grip hold of her. It felt as though those thorny stems_ _that had entwined themselves_ _around her heart quickly grew into a caliginous forest, whose boughs entangled themselves around her lungs, and tightened into a crushing embrace around her chest._

_How could she have let this happen?_

_Tears blurred her vision, and Nami's hand snapped to her chest, clawing at the skin above her heart, trying the relieve the constricting sensation that was making it difficult to breathe. "Bellmere-san." She whimpered as she brushed the back of her other hand over her eyes to dry them._

_'No!' Nami's mind suddenly screamed, 'There must be another way. I want to go back.' Her heart ached, 'I want to save her.'_

_That wish was futile, and Nami knew it well._

_She did want to save Bellmere though, and_ _she was mortified that she wouldn't. If there was a way to do so without destroying her own future then Nami would take it, but in this situation, under these circumstances, Nami knew she would make the same decision every time; to let history take its course, and allow her captain to liberate Conomi._

 _Nami reasoned that p_ _erhaps her reaction was just her heart's way of trying to comfort her mind; to take away the guilt._

_It would not succeed._

_Nami suddenly gasped as she heard the strangled screams of her younger self, desperately pleading with Genzo from within Hachi's hold, trying to protect him by claiming she didn't need his help._

_Though Nami was not close enough to see the fishman attack him now, she watched the incident all over again in her mind's eye. She could see Kurobi's vicious smile as he skilfully slashed at Genzo's skin, scoring his flesh like a poissonnier would prepare the meat of his dish before searing it._

_After all the racism and discrimination the fishman had endured, Nami thought that that must have been why they found the scene so amusing. Arlong had always boasted that they were a superior species, so it made a sick sort of sense to Nami now that Kurobi had cut Genzo in such a way. Never mind the humiliation and pain that he must have felt, and the constant reminder his appearance gave the villagers of the fishmen's power, they must have gotten some kind of twisted satisfaction from cutting a human in the same way humans prepare fish; a weaker species._

_The shrill cries of Nojiko and the younger Nami prickled up her spine, turning the blood in her veins to ice, and she remembered then how Gen-san's sliced skin had split before her eyes. His blood gushed from his wounds, and she helplessness watched the life pour out of him. She had been terrified. She'd never seen so much blood before, and was certain that Genzo would not survive._

_As she was silently dragged away by the fishmen, she adamantly decided that no one else would die because of her._

_She felt just as scared as helpless now as she did back then, and her requisite for survival was equally as strong. "Move." She ordered herself, but remained frozen in place. "You need to get up. It's time to go. You can't be here." She reminded herself._

_She knew she needed somewhere to hide, she couldn't afford to get caught on the island, not by anyone. With the fishmen leaving her childhood home, she imagined that the remaining villagers would arrive any second to help treat Genzo's wounds, and to bury her mother. That had taken place there very same day, she remembered, which she was thankful for._

_The heavy sensation lifted slightly from off her chest at the realisation of being able to visit Bellmere's grave. These were not the circumstances she imagined would ever allow her this_ _opportunity_ _, but she was grateful for it all the same. She could tell her mother of her adventures, explain herself, and hopefully relinquish some of the grief she now felt._

_At the low mutter of a crowd arriving, Nami turned to dash into the woodland behind the mikan grove, snatching some of the citrus fruits as she passed._

* * *

**_Aforetime ..._ **

Trafalgar Law could hear the Strawhats chatting with their _guest_ from the very moment he materialised in the infirmary on board the Thousand Sunny. He'd become so accustomed to his ally talking with his mouthful, that he could now understand his muffled speech.

 _"That's where we're headed!"_ Mugiwara-ya declared, making Law wonder why the man was interested in Prodence. He set down a ruck sack full of supplies, questioning if their _guest_ had something to do with the Corrida Colosseum. There were competitors there from all over the New World, so it was a possibility.

Was this retribution for the Mera Mera no Mi?

 _"If that's what I said."_ The Strawhat's navigator explained, and her soft voice instantly drew his attention from its current train of thought. 'She could end up hating me for this.' He cautioned himself as he glanced at the silver tray on the bed. He didn't have time to tidy up after she had stormed out on him an hour ago. He knew that what was going to happen would take place soon.

Part of him wondered why he cared at all if Nami did eventually end up hate him, but the rest of Law knew that her contempt was the last thing that he wanted. Still, Law had to protect his objectives and pay no mind to the costs, no matter what they were. He had risked too much already to let his conscience jeopardize any of his ambitions, past or present.

If Law's theory was correct, which he was certain that it was, he knew that any intervention on his part now could alter her future, and change his past. It may have taken him thirteen years, but his vengeance for Corazon had finally been attained, and Law hoped that by not standing in the way of what he suspected would soon happen, he could possibly have everything he wanted.

His sharp mind had been churning everything over for longer than he cared to remember. Law imagined that he had explored every possible logical root, until he finally stumbled upon the first clue which set him on the path to his current theory. It seemed so improbable that he was concerned at some points that he may have twisted facts to suit this theory, to support his wishes, but regardless, he continued to follow the breadcrumbs scattered throughout time, slowly searching for that one piece of solid evidence to support his hypothesis; and today he had found that piece.

Law picked up the tweezers from off the tray next to him, and held up a splinter of debris before his eyes which he had removed from Nami's wounds earlier. "I knew it was you." He confessed with a weary smile, and an uncomfortable sensation in his chest.

His theory was right. From the moment he saw her opaque figure up on deck, the scratches on her stomach, and the blood trickling down her thighs, he knew it then, there was no room for any doubt; Nami was the woman he rescued many years ago. And with that knowledge came a rush of conflicting emotions which he had no idea of which ones to allow himself to succumb to.

Of course, Law was elated to have solved the frustrating mystery that had been surrounding him since he first saw the Strawhat crew in the newspaper, just after Enies Lobby. But now, there were other feelings, turbulent emotions, some which he couldn't yet identify.

His hatred for Nami had gradually lessened since they caught each others eye in the Human Auction House. The woman he had come to know, the person he was convinced she was, he knew that she was conniving and manipulative, and initially he told himself that she was simply being uncivil. But, the more he thought about it, the more he realised that no matter how good of an actress she may be, she could not have feigned that sort of ignorance. There was not a hint of recognition on her face what so ever when she glimpsed the Heart Pirates, he was certain of it. Even if she momentarily did not recognise Shachi, Penguin, or himself, there was no way she could have forgotten Bepo, or faked her surprise at seeing a talking polar bear.

Her behaviour in the Human Auction House had troubled him profoundly, causing him to remember how he had always been suspicious of the woman he had saved, the one who she was so similar to; he was certain he had met her before, too. It urged him to become closer to Mugiwara-ya, to seek the answers to the confounding questions that she poised; it was why he had saved her captain's life. And slowly, after their cold meeting on Punk Hazard his suspicions were confirmed.

_"I remember you! Did you lock these kids in here? You fiend. We won't give them back!"_

Though he knew her well, she clearly did not know him, and could just about recall that she had seen him once before.

That was only the second time that _she_ had met _him_.

Her appearance had changed in those two years. Law always thought that the woman in the auction house appeared a little too young to be the person he knew, but now she was faultless. Nami, of the Strawhat crew, was even of the same mettle as the woman he had once saved. The way she spoke to him, the courage of her, and the conviction in her voice; he was convinced she was the same person.

As his theory began to take shape, Law knew he had no right to hate her, not anymore. It was not fair to Nami for him to hold on to any enmity over something she had no control over, something she hadn't even done yet.

The last few months with the Strawhat's had been considerably difficult for him. Nami was on remarkably good terms with his entire crew, and she had made several genuine attempts to become better acquainted with him, to perhaps get to know him as well as she knew the rest of the Heart Pirates, but Law had had to push her away. They did not have the same kind of bond that she shared with his crew, and he never wanted them to.

He didn't truly wish to admit the affect their current situation had been having on him. Law thought any affinity was burned at the root long ago, but the sadness her presence inflicted on him said otherwise. It seemed some feelings were too entrenched to be completely erased, which was why he now felt so conflicted. He had clung on to hatred for so long, it had become difficult to let go of.

Still, Law was thankful he decided to endure this galling time with the Strawhats. Now, he had the proof he needed, his mind could finally rest. No more searching, no more questions. He was relieved it was over, but now felt unexpectedly anxious about what was to come next, and dread fluttered in his stomach. 'What if she can't forgive me?'

Law quietly made his way to door separating the galley and the infirmary, and carefully peeked through the window, mindful not to touch the voile covering it.

 _"Are you a hammer?"_ Mugiwara-ya asked his guest, and Law scowled instantly as he recognised the person sitting to the left of his ally.

'So, you're the one.' Law deduced as he looked through the small window. He could practically feel the wheels of his mind turning as they worked to try and recall the last time he had seen that fishman.

_"May I ask how you defeated the Shichibukai, King Doflamingo, if you didn't have a strategy in place?"_

With a sharp intake of breath, 'You!' Law's mind growled, his eyes flew open, and his nostrils flared with rage when he placed the fishman.

'Of course it's you.' Law scoffed. It all made sense to him now. Everything fit so perfectly it was painful.

Law felt on edge as he watched Bone-ya set down his tea cup. The Strawhat's were obviously suspicious of the fishman now, and the atmosphere within the galley changed in an instant. He had not collapsed his room since he transported himself and Nami-ya to the infirmary earlier, and he could feel the dramatic shift in ambiance through his ability. Adrenaline coursed through Law's system while he listened to Zoro-ya practically growling at the fishman. It was his powerful aura which he could sense, and Law knew that now doubt had settled into the Strawhat's minds, the fishman would need to act quickly.

'This is it!' Law thought to himself. He could feel his heart racing with anticipation. He knew that this was the beginning to what was possibly the most important epoch of his life.

_"Let me show you, Monkey D. Luffy, just how useless my ability is."_

Though the Strawhat's musician was obscuring his view, Law could still Nami-ya slightly, poking out from behind Bone-ya. He watched as her hands shot to her head, nursing it as though she was in some sort of pain, and Law knew it had begun. He quickly grabbed his baby Den Den Mushi from out of the inside pocket of his long coat, and dialled a number without taking his eyes off the navigator.

 _"Captain?"_ His first mate answered.

"Ready?" He asked, but didn't wait for a reply before he acted.

"Shambles." He called out, and with a twist of his fingers Trafalgar Law removed everyone, other than Mugiwara-ya and his navigator, and placed them safely onboard his submarine.

"Go, Penguin. And do not resurface until either myself of Mugiwara-ya calls you. Got it?"

 _"Yes, captain."_ Penguin said, and the snail instantly fell back to sleep as the line went dead.

With both of their crews safe from the fishman, Law then turned his full attention back to what was happening on the other side of door.

If he hadn't caught Nami in transition earlier, then he probably wouldn't have been able to believe his eyes. Like an intangible ghost, she was slowly fading away. When Mugiwara-ya reached out for her, Law saw a glimpse of what should have been contact. 'Why was I able to touch her?' He questioned, knowing that he had roused her from something similar not too long ago. This time must have been different, he deduced.

Seconds later and she had completely vanished. 'I'm sorry, Nami-ya."

* * *

Nami awoke with a start, slamming her head hard and loud within the close quarters of the half empty treasure chest she'd hidden inside. She felt dizzy and disoriented, but could still hear the metallic ringing of coins cascading around her. It would have been music to her ears if it wasn't for the severe pain in her back and legs, and the fading dream memories that had haunted her rest. 'Are they ever going to stop?' She wondered as she rubbed the spot on the top of her head that she'd just whacked. It had been four days since she had been on Cocoyashi, yet every time she closed her eyes she would relive that same day.

Nami jerked painfully to the side as her back muscles began to spasm again, keeping her locked in place until they seized. "What's happening to me?" She trembled, greatly regretting her decision to get on board the treasure ship, and to not head straight for the doctor's surgery. Though, with the severity of her condition, Nami doubted that she would have been able to pay for the treatment she required if she hadn't made this little detour.

From the moment she slipped inside ship's cargo hold, her back began to trouble her. First there was just stiffness to her jaw, which she tried to elevate by slowly opening and closing her mouth to work the joints. She thought she had succeeded in banishing her ailments until a dull ache started to spread throughout her neck and shoulders. Then, as though a bucket of ice had been thrown over her head, Nami could feel the stiffening pain begin to creep down her back, and into her bones as she explored the ship's treasure compartments.

Most of the treasure was of a grade that Nami had never seen before. It was surely of a higher carat than the haul the Strawhat's had taken from Skypiea, and it was fortunate that she did not have her heart set on stealing any to take back to Cocoyashi for her younger self. As a child, she never had any gold in her takings that was possibly close to that which was gleaming in front of her. Nami knew that by taking any back to add to those savings, it could alter future events.

'All the more for me.' She smiled.

It was then, as her excitement and greed started to boil up inside her that her back had begun to twitch, crippling her by contorting her spine. She struggled to climb inside a nearby treasure chest, hoping to take refuge inside until the convulsions stopped, and she would be able to flee the ship with her spoils.

The pain of her injuries knocked her unconscious.

Nami carefully sat forward, lifting the lid to the treasure chest slightly as she did, and peaking through the small gap to check that the coast was clear.

She narrowed her eyes, and cast them left and right, looking to every corner of the room before she decided that the hold was free of any guards. Nami opened the lid completely then, and grabbed the side of the chest for leverage. She cursed herself repeatedly as she pulled herself to her feet. Her calf muscles were stiff, and her thighs burned with infection, but she pushed through the pain and ungracefully climbed out of the chest.

Piles of lustrous gold and shimmering silver filled the room, gleaming beautifully in the failing day light, and stealing the greedy navigator's breath away. She clasped her hands over her heart, and smiled widely as she stared at jewels of every hue that were scattered amongst the precious metals, glimmering like a rainbow of stars in a sky of electrum.

Delirium washed over her, and after everything she had endured recently, and the severe pain she was in earlier, Nami momentarily questioned if she was in fact, in heaven.

Before Nami knew it, her hands were raking at the treasure, quickly stuffing it into her bag, and every pocket she could find on her person.

'That's enough.' She soon told herself when the strap of her bag began to dig into her left shoulder. She adjusted its position then grabbed one more handful before attempting to quietly exit the hold.

She immediately stopped in her tracks. Every time Nami put a foot to the floor, the treasure in her bag jangled loudly, making a stealthy escape impossible.

The Cat Thief froze for a moment, panicked slightly, as she was torn over what she should do. She contemplated whether or not the she should dump some of her haul, or if she should run the risk of being seen or heard, and keep it all. Her rational mind insisted that she lighten her load, but the thief in her had been roused by the excitement of a heist. She had spent so long with the Strawhats, comfortably lifting loot and knowing she would have their full protection, that she had clearly forgotten the thrill of a successful steal, and dangers of being caught.

Nami grabbed her bag from off her hip and clutched it tightly to her chest, cradling it against her body like a wounded child, and she made her way to the door.

She slipped her fingers around the brass handle and carefully eased it down, cracking the door ajar, just barely an inch so she could catch a glimpse out into the gangway. The corridor was clear, so she made her way towards the main deck, with her treasure rattling quietly in her pockets.

Nami furrowed her eyebrows and slowed her pace as she approached the outer door. "Shit." She cursed in dismay as the view through the porthole sent adrenaline to flutter in her stomach. The sky was of a hue that resembled her hair, and the blazing orange sun was straight ahead of her, low on the horizon and visible beneath the full sails. 'The marine said that embarkation was sun down.' Her mind promptly recalled. 'Why has it set sail early?' She panicked.

She could feel her pulse began to race, and as it did, the muscles in her back began to twitch again slightly. 'Not now.' She internally groaned. She was already exhausted, and Nami knew she needed to check the aft of the ship, to make sure that they had indeed left the harbour, though her gut told her that they were now sailing the North Blue, that she was already too late.

If they were at sea, it was paramount that she found a secure place to hide until the ship made berth. She couldn't be immobilised by her sickness, not now. She may be trapped on a World Government vessel, surrounded by marines, Nami realised.

A heavy thud sounded from out on deck, tearing her attention away from her ailments as the planks beneath her quaked with the impact.

Nami glanced out of the porthole to see a rather stout male marine laying face down on the deck. Her mouth went dry, and chest began to rise and fall heavily as blood slowly emerged from beneath his body, then another thud quickly followed.

"We're under attack!" A marine shouted from what sounded like above her, then the frantic scrambling of heavy boots erupted from almost every direction, heading to the deck to tackle to ambush.

'I didn't hear any gun shots.' She fretted. Nami felt the blood leave her skin and fear settle in its place. She instantly backed away from the door to the deck, and ducked inside the nearest unlocked room.

She slammed the door behind her, not caring if it drew any attention to position. The marines clearly had bigger problems than a cat thief hiding in a broom closet.

Static seemed to fill her mind as she shut her eyes and leant against the door, listening to the bedlam from out on deck, trying not to picture the massacre she assumed was taking place. She felt like a frightened child, cowering in a corner, fleeing from a brutal punishment that was undeserved. Nami tried to cast her mind to a happier time, but all she could hear were the clear shots of rifle fire, they penetrated her thoughts, keeping her in the present.

She was trapped in a war zone without a weapon or an ally. As that terrifying truth settled into her mind, Nami could feel her entire body start to throb with the pounding of her heart in her chest. She wiped her clammy palms on the fabric of her bag and swallowed thickly, 'What the hell am I going to do?' She brooded.

'There must be a lot of them.' She deduced, as she continually heard the marines dropping like flies. Strangled screamed and anguished cries were bellowed out, accompanied by thud after thud, as their bodies hit the floor. Ever pound on the deck was more foreboding than the last. They were either being ambushed by a small army, or their opponents were extremely formidable.

Nami knew that the attackers were most likely pirates. So, could she claim to be a prisoner? She wondered.  
Did the treasure ship even have a brig she could seal herself in? In her condition, she wasn't sure if they would simply shoot her on sight or not. And she was, of course, opening herself up to all sorts of dangers with this plan. Not all pirates were like the Strawhats, she knew that well, so there was nothing to say that being an enemy to the marines could save her, but it was worth a shot. It was her only shot. The ambushers were obviously after the treasure, so they would eventually find her if she chose her previous hiding place.

The Cat Thief reluctantly lifted her bag from around her head and dropped it in an empty mop bucket. If she was lucky, she might be able to claim it later, but for now she just needed to save her own skin. Nami opened the door, and headed deeper into the ship.

"I'm sorry Vice-Admiral, I can't stop myself. My body is moving on its own!" Nami heard a panicked voice explain from up on the deck before the clanging of swords briefly rang out, and a strangled shout erupted from one of the men.

"Why did you make me do that?" The same man cried out.

"Now, fall on your sword." A low, sadistic voice ordered. Nami heard something hit the deck, and the apologetic man soon wailed in pain, before falling silent.

Nami clapped a hand over her own mouth to ensure she did not make a sound as she skirted along the corridor with her back to the wall, heading away from the deck. She fought with the handle of the nearest door, and flung herself inside.

'Shit.' She sobbed. She ached all over, and was in excruciating pain from her wounds. Nami didn't know how much longer her body would allow her to move freely. She could feel that stiffening sensation washing over her again, and she had just stumbled into another treasure room with a single porthole, one that she had no hope of climbing through.

A door slammed shut, and the footsteps of more than one person could be heard coming her way.

Nami started to feel more and more nauseated with every step she could hear. Saliva flooded her mouth, and she swallowed hard to stop the bile that was threatening to rise up her throat, and forced eyes from off the back of the door to look for a hiding place.

She glimpsed a wooden chest from behind one of the piles of treasure, and shambled over to it to climb inside, nursing her churning stomach as she did.

At the creaking sound of a door swinging on it hinges, Nami's head snapped up. 'It's over.' Her mind quickly declared, but her eyes instantly welled with relief as the door to that room was still closed. She covered her mouth to stop the elated trill of joy that squeaked in her throat, then set about silently opening the chest she needed to hide inside.

"Do you know what this is?" She heard a man ask. She was sure it was the same person who told the marine to fall on his sword. There was bitterness in his voice, and an arrogance to his tone. Nami knew that she did not want to meet that man, not one bit.

She continued to carefully open the chest, as the haughty man spoke again before anyone answered him. "Tenjoukin."

'Tenjoukin?' Nami silently repeated, before another voice sounded out in the hall, saying the same thing.

That's why the people in the village were acting so strangely, and kept themselves far from the marines in the tavern. It was just like Cocoyashi, Nami supposed as she finally opened the chest completely and carefully started to climb inside. Her home village hated paying tribute to Arlong just as the world hated giving their hard earned money to the Celestial Dragons. 'It's that time again.' The barmaid had told her, so they were seemingly regular tributes.

"You really do not fear them, do you?" A young man asked, curiously.

"Why should _I_ fear the Tenryuubito?" The man replied, laughing darkly as he did.

Just as Nami had gotten both feet in the chest, and a hand on the lid to slowly start to closing it, she heard the door handle rattle. Her eyes shot to the brass, and her stomach clenched tightly as it started to move.

'No!' She internally screamed, and tried to move a little faster, but stopped immediately as a familiar boy stepped through the door. He caught her ducked inside the chest with the lid half shut, and their eyes locked on to one and others.

There was no mistaking who he was, Nami knew him too well to not recognise his spotted hat. His golden eyes looked just as tired as she had always known them to be, and they carried just as much sadness. He was the same in almost every way, except he was missing his facial hair, and possibly half a foot in height. 'Fifteen or sixteen.' She mentally decided.

"Tora-" She breathed, covering her mouth quickly to cut herself off, hoping it was too quiet for him to hear.

It wasn't.

The young Trafalgar Law narrowed his eyes at her, scowling in obvious confusion.

'How could I be so stupid.' Nami chided herself.

At the sound of the other man's foot steps, Law scowl at Nami darkened and he pointed to the ground, signalling for her to get inside the chest; or so she hoped.

She grit her teeth through the pain and moved quickly, lowering the lid just in time, and gnawing at her lip as she trapped her fingers slightly to not allow the lid to slam shut.

"This is going to take the Donquixote Family to new heights, Law."

'Doflamingo!' The realisation knocked the wind out of her, and she could feel the bile in her stomach threatening to rise up again. She definitely did not want to get caught by him.

Nami eased the lid shut, desperately wondering how she was going to get out of this situation, when for better or for worse, the same ringing she heard in here ears four days ago, began to chime again.

"With this, I will blackmail the World Government into giving me a seat of power." Were the last words Nami heard Doflamingo say before the ringing became too excruciatingly loud, and darkness took her once again.

* * *

_"It’s always darkest before the dawn,"_


	10. Fluctuation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece

"I'm sorry, Nami-ya." Trafalgar Law apologised, frowning deeply as he watched the Strawhat's navigator vanish before his eyes. One moment she was there, fully tangible, and capable of being protected by his ability, and then her body quickly turned opaque and disappeared, like a ghost being exorcized from this world.

He knew he had to let this happen, but that didn't stop the guilt he felt from acutely letting itself be known. It settled in his chest like a shard of kairoseki, causing him to momentarily loose focus and collapse his _room_.

He watched the Strawhat's captain then as he reached out, unable to grasp his navigator's hand. His features changed from being full of concern and confusion to become twisted with rage. As Law expected of him, Mugiwara-ya lashed out, sending the fishman flying into the kitchen with his powerful fist.

'Careful, Mugiwara-ya.' His mind cautioned over the loud clatter of metallic pots and pans crashing to the floor. He watched the man flex his ability again, and stretch his arms to pull the fishman back towards himself for another assault.

Law's gaze was glued to the damaged equipment in the kitchen now that his ally had their enemy pinned beneath him, and against the breakfast bar. There was a substantial dent in the cooker and the extractor fan above it, evidence of where the fishman's head had struck against it left another clue in the spray of blood upon the metal, reminding Law of the grim sight of surgical table, post operation.

"Narnia, you bastard! What the hell have you done to my nakama?" The other captain growled with fury as he loomed over the fishman, ready to strike again at a moments notice.

'They're safe, Mugiwara-ya.' Law silently assured him, grimacing as the fishman began to cough up blood and explain how he had sent Nami-ya to a cardinal point in her past.

The Surgeon of Death was not at all worried about the blood in the fishman's mouth. He was a doctor afterall, and knew that Nornir had most likely bitten his tongue in the collision. However, Law was overly concerned with the crimson fluid that was pooling on the breakfast bar beneath their enemy. Head wounds do bleed a lot due to the amount of blood vessels below the scalp, but judging from the damage done in the kitchen, Law feared he may have suffered a cerebral injury.

"I've seen her memories." Nornir said excitedly, and an imagine of his ally's navigator was conjured up in Law's mind. He knew little of her memories, save for the fact that they haunted her. He remembered the pain and torment in her eyes as she had once told him that her mother was murdered, and that it was all her fault. Law thought he could feel her trembling in his arms right then, but it was his own anger that was coursing through his veins, adrenaline shaking his limbs. He almost hated himself for allowing her to go through all of that again. He knew how it had almost destroyed her, 'but it didn't.' he consoled himself. She was stronger than that.

'That must be the pivotal point that the fishman just spoke of.' Law decided, realising then that their time together when he was twenty one was not the first time he had met her, and perhaps his suspension of their brief encounter ten years ago was correct.

"Without her," the fishman began, coughing intermittently as he continued to speak, "it would have just been the Pirate Hunter and yourself, and you would have both died long ago, having never left the East Blue if it wasn't for her extraordinary navigational and meteorological skills."

Over the last few months, Trafalgar Law had come to witness those skills first hand. It was a wonder to him now how she had ever managed to suppress her barometrical instincts, or omit her oceanographic knowledge from their conversations. He supposed, in retrospect, there were clues to her expertise, but he had disregarded them at the time as something as simple as a lucky guess. If she had been more open with him, used her knowledge to aid his crew, then perhaps he would have been a greater pirate, Law believed. 'That was the whole point for her concealment.' He knew. He understood now that she was trying to ensure that they would meet again in his future. She had tried her utmost to not influence a single thing that he did. Little did Nami know how utterly she had failed in that regard over time.

"All she has to do is intervene, and all of this will be undone." The fishman said as he motioned to the ship around them. "She may be the most integral member of your crew, but she is also the weakest. It will be very satisfying to know that someone as weak as her will change the past and instantly destroy your future."

That statement caused Mugiwara-ya's temper to erupt once again, and he dragged Nornir towards himself then whacked him against the breakfast bar, forcefully.

Something in the the Strawhat's captain seemed to have snapped then, and he appeared more serious and furious than Law had ever previously seen him. "Bastard!-"

"Stop, Mugiwara-ya!" Law insisted as he burst through the door to the galley, before his ally could do the fishman any further damage.

"Why should I? He has sent my crew flying, just like that bear did on Sabaody!" Luffy shouted. His tone and expression were laced with conflict, which Law could understand, and sympathise with.

He knew his ally trusted him. He had heeded to his words, and followed his battle plans against Doflamingo, so it was understandable that Mugiwara-ya was so confused as to why Law was stopping him from getting retribution for his crew; a crew Law knew he loved dearly.

"The rest of your crew are safe, Mugiwara-ya. But you can not hurt him any more! We need him alive, and conscious so he can bring back Nami-ya." Law argued desperately, hoping that once again his ally would put his faith in him, and listen.

"I'm not ... bringing anyone back." Nornir whispered. "As I said, all she has to do is intervene and stop her mothers death, and all of this will be gone. She is the key member of your crew."

"If she was as weak as you thought, and had done as you assumed she would, her mother's life would have been saved, and none of us would be here now. Yet, here we stand." Law said with an sophic smirk. "Your plan would have been instantaneous, but it has obviously failed. Now bring her back!" He ordered.

Nornir laughed, then slowly turned his head then to look at person giving him instruction. "Trafalgar Law." He said in a knowing voice, one that clearly roused suspicion in the other captain.

"Is he a friend of yours?" Luffy quickly asked. "Are you helping him?"

"No, he's not-" Law began to explain, but was cut off by Nornir.

"I thought I recognised her ..."

"The rest of your crew is on my submarine." Law continued, "Safe, beneath the sea, where his ability can not touch them."

"You knew what I would do, yet you let it happen anyway?" Nornir laughed, angering the the Strawhat's captain further.

"Tora-o, you knew! Why didn't you stop him? Why did you let him take Nami?" Luffy demanded, releasing his hold on the fishman to turn and glare at Law, his fists slowly clenching as his began to grit his teeth.

"For the same reasons she never told me who she was," Law frowned as he calmly tried to explain, though he realised then that because Nami-ya had been sent ten years into the past, when he helped Doflamingo capture the Tenjoukin and blackmail the world Government into giving him a seat as a Shichibukai, that his presence now may very well be the prompt Nornir needed to bring her a little forward in time, and ensure their stint together. "to secure that whatever future she was protecting would still happen."

"But this is now, not the future!" Luffy shouted, clearly not in full comprehension of what was taking place.

"What occurs on this day may be the present to us now, but it effects my past, and Nami-ya's future."

Luffy cocked his head to the side, and his hand reached beneath his hat to scratch his scalp. "Your past with Nami?" He asked in an incredulous tone.

"I didn't think it could be same woman." Nornir smiled in a way that pissed Law off. He clicked his tongue in frustration as the fishman pushed himself to his feet, somehow filled with a new found strength at that realisation. "I guess I've sent her back too far." He chuckled, then spat blood on the floor that he dislodged from his throat. "How stupid of you to show your face." And with that said, Nornir's onyx eyes rolled back, flashing white for a moment before turning dark again.

"What did you just do?" Law demanded, extending his left arm and summoning his _room_ , thought he suspected he already knew.

"I've brought her forward in time, so we can meet on our allotted day." He sneered. "Until now, I have never been able to use my ability in conjunction with my physical self. But now, with her assistance ..." Nornir paused to smirk at Law, "she can help me become omnipotent." He laughed darkly.

"What are you talking about?!" Luffy fumed, and once again his temper boiled beyond mastery and he gripped Nornir's shoulders, ready for another assault.

"Time waits for no man. Except, perhaps, for me." Nornir proclaimed in a sardonic tone.

* * *

Nami slowly awoke from a dreamless sleep, one that had seemed to stretch on for countless hours of darkness and nothingness; like the dead, finally resurrected after a millennia of cessation. Thought she was certainly conscious, it was not a true awaking, as she was still too exhausted to open her eyes. Her lids screwed themselves together, tightly, and there was a weightiness to them that seemed to be putting pressure on her irises, and causing a dull ache in her skull. She ignored it in favour of concentrating on her breathing, and the rhythmic beeping sound that accompanied it.

Her throat felt constricted and tight, the muscles overly tense, like she had attempted to swallow something acutely large. She wanted to retch, to rid herself of that uncomfortable feeling, but she didn't have the strength in her to attempt it. It seemed her body had already given up fighting that sensation.

She ached all over. Her limbs were heavy and stiff, like she had not used them for an age. The feeling instantly reminded Nami of her time on Little Garden, when Mr. 3 had tried to turn her into a wax statue. 'Was she turning to stone?' Her subconscious mind questioned. She deemed the rigidity to her body a liking to what calcification might feel like, so she couldn't discount it. 'Or had she just been dragged into that memory of Little Garden?' At least, if she had, she was with her nakama, she consoled herself.

But she wasn't there, in that memory, Nami quickly learned. She could hear familiar voices around her then, but she couldn't place them, or discern their words. The muffled sound of clanging metal drew her thoughts to Zoro. She imagined he was close by, tending to his blades, and not posing pompously for his wax statue.

She was lying flat, she soon came to realise, sensing gravity's pull on her towards something soft, yet still uncomfortable. 'A bed.' She perceived, and groaned with pain as she tried to move her aching limbs. Someone moved to stand over her then, Nami was sure. A shadow passed over her closed eyes, darkening her consciousness. 'Is that you, Chopper?' She wanted to ask, but neither her sore throat nor her mind would allow her the ability of speech.

If she was back with her crew, or had been dragged into another memory; either way, she was suddenly pulled back into darkness feeling thankful that she was no longer stuck in that past, and was away from Doflamingo.

She roused a second time, or was it third? Nami couldn't be sure. She felt disoriented and tired, like she'd maybe been slipping in and out of consciousness, unable to find true rest. She'd had no dreams that she count to track her benightedness, just intermittent pain and the recognition of voices.

On this occasion though, she was strong enough to at least open her eyes.

Shades of dark cerulean and inky teal flooded her vision the moment her lids parted, and though the hues instantly made her assume she had been swallowed by the deep sea, she was too enervated to panic, and her weariness quickly forced her eyes shut again.

For a moment, she simply accepted the possibility that she could be drowning, knowing that there was nothing she could do about it now if she was, which was uncharacteristic of her, and in itself was distressing. Somehow though, she was breathing. That was all she knew, and all she cared for; she was not drowning, not like before, beneath the pier. That encouraging notion gave her the strength to open her eyes again, long enough to take in more of her surroundings.

Metal. Steel or titanium, maybe. It was all around her. 'I'm not back on Sunny.' She lamented, and her cognition was cut short by someone else who was present in the room.

"Don't move!" A stern voice cautioned in an overly threatening manner. She couldn't move even if she wanted to. The same sensation of petrification still lingered in her bones, making her neck too stiff to turn, so she cast her eyes in the direction the voice had sounded.

'Penguin?' She blinked up at him as he moved to her bedside. It was too dark to see his face, but before he got too close, she glimpsed the name that was written above the peak of his cap. 'Why are you taking care of me?' She tried to ask, but instantly realised there was a tube obstructing her throat, muting her voice, and only allowing her to croak with discomfort.

He approached tentatively, then reached for the apparatus hanging to the right of her bed. Nami watched as he tampered with the fluid drip she assumed was attached to her arm, altering the amount of solution that entered her veins. In her last few blinks of consciousness, Nami felt the rigidity in her limbs recede, and with it her concern for the unfriendly frown that darken Penguin's lips.

Nami's return to full consciousness seemed a slow process. Her hazy mind refused to uncloud itself of the darkness she'd come to know so well, and a gentle swirling sensation accompanied that dense fog. She felt as though she could move if she wanted to, but she was too unconcerned to actually do it. 'Drugged.' She could remember it clearly, and it was the only explanation for her lethargy and her previous disregard for her own safety.

'What was that look? She wondered as she thought of Penguin, and then sluggishly cracked her eyes open.

The lights were dim, but still too bright for her sensitive eyes, forcing her to shut her them quickly before attempting to open them again. On her next effort, Nami glimpsed the rim of soft plastic covering her nose, 'Breathing apparatus.' she told herself, then remembered how her throat had been hurting, and the boring tube, so she swallowed to see if it had gone. It hadn't.

She opened her eyes again, blinking quickly to rid herself of the urge to close them, when in her peripheral vision she spotted a large sword resting against her bed. She turned her head ever so slightly to look upon it; that was all she could do. The small movement seemed to send ripples of pain to travel through her entire nervous system, causing her to clench her eyes shut, and wince in agony. She breathed deeply through the mask attached to her face, and once her pain had subsided a little she opened her eyes again to regard the sword.

Nami immediately recognised it by its fuzzy guard, and its hilt wrapped in woven mauve silk. 'Tora-o.' She sighed, grateful to be in his capable hands, then saw the man himself reclining in a chair not too far away.

He was shirtless, only wearing his oddly patterned jeans and hat. His decorated, olive skin was covered an a sheen of moisture, bringing Nami's attention to the humidity of the room, and she remembered just how sultry his ship could be from her time with the Heart Pirates on Zou.

His golden eyes regarded her curiously from beneath the rim of his hat. His gaze from different from sullen stare she was used to receiving from him. She was shocked to see he was relaxed and keen, causing an irregular beep to sound from the heart monitor she was attached to. He dropped his head then to cover his eyes, but Nami saw a small smirk flash across his lips before he brought his right hand up to wipe the sweat that had gathered on his top lip. Her eyes followed that hand as it moved back to settle on the arm of the chair, noticing his tattoo-less knuckles when he gripped the arm rest for stability and pushed himself to his feet.

Once vertical, Nami could see that he was possibly as tall as the man she knew, though his muscle definition was not as prominent. He was still perfectly toned and slender, appearing somewhat lanky without the maturity of the brawn he would one day acquire. At least his facial hair was the same, and his ever present tired eyes.

"Don't try to speak." He advised in low voice as he stepped towards her. His familiar smoky tone was a comfort to her after days of solitude crossing to the Red Line, and all the trials she had endured. "You have been experiencing laryngeal spasms during your incubation period, so I've had to keep you on ventilatory support."

Tears pricked at her eyes, causing them to flutter shut. 'What is wrong with me?' She wanted to ask, and felt her jaw tremble as her facial muscles attempted to frown.

"It is safer for everyone if you remain fully sedated for the time being." Law remarked, causing Nami to open her eyes to glare at him briefly before she quickly fell into a drowsy state, unable to control her facial expressions.

"I'll tell you more when you are out of danger." He told her as he finished adjusting the mechanism on her drip, smirking slyly at her as he moved to recline in his chair again.

"Rest." The Surgeon of Death instructed her.

* * *

_"when your world is weary, and all is dark,"_


	11. Reckoning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece

'The sedative must be wearing off.' Law thought to himself as he watched his patient from across the room as she tossed and turned in her sick bed. He monitored her rest often, and could now keenly recognize when she would soon rouse, only to duck out before hand so he did not have to converse with her. He knew she would have questions, all medical and unconcerning, he could answer her queries easily; it was his own wonder that troubled him.

He got up and moved to her bedside. 'Why _did_ I rescue you?' Law questioned himself, mussing his hair beneath his hat as he loomed over his patient. He needed to check her vitals, but he placed the stethoscope on the bedside table as his mind began to wander.

He believed that he was not a cruel man, per se, but he was not the type to help someone on a whim, out of the kindness of his heart. He would offer aid if it benefited himself in some way, but he was sure that he would not profit from his current patient, except financially. She was already a burden to his mind.

Normally, he wouldn't have helped her to the extent that he had, but he was curious about her, if only for the location where he had discovered her.

'Was she put there on purpose?'

They were miles from land, so how was it that he came to find her drifting in the middle of the ocean? She could have been jettisoned from her former vessel during a storm, but there was not an ounce of debris to show that a ship had been wrecked in the area, and the cool waters of the North Blue were not so perilous.

Trafalgar Law wouldn't have thought too much into it if she didn't resemble the woman who he discovered on board a Tenjoukin vessel he had boarded in that very location five years prior. He had helped her to hide from Donquixote Doflamingo, and when he returned to free her later that night, she had mysteriously vanished from the ship without a trace.

'Did Doflamingo find her that day? Did she talk of how I'd helped her?'

He remembered the light from the setting sun as it reflected off every coin, illuminating the room in a mix of aurulent hues. The woman at its centre was scared, an obvious thief or stowaway, trying to hide. She trembled, captured in his gilded stare, like a tree shaking in a storm. Law could still envision her ducked inside a treasure chest, with gold at her feet like fallen leaves, and the failing sunlight permeating her hair like an autumn canopy.

For the life of him, he could not remember what she looked like, but a shade of vibrant orange, the colour of his current patient's hair, had always stayed in his mind.

"Are you the same woman?" Law asked her sleeping form. 'How could that even be possible?' He thought as he seated himself on the edge of the bed.

As a child, growing up in the North Blue, he'd heard many tales about myths and magic. The legends about aberrant areas of the ocean, ones with strange atmospheres which captured seafarers and supposedly trapped them in another dimension, was not an unknown story to him. But Law was a practical and logical man, skilled in science and medicine, so believing that tale was a difficult pill to swallow. It was the people of the world that had extraordinary powers, not the world itself, he couldn't accept that ridiculous possibility. Yet, he was quite positive that she was the same woman, and he wanted to believe in that myth, the gold coins that his crew had found on her person only supported notion.

Her presence vexed him. There were too many questions surrounding her, most of which he wanted to ignore. Whether she was or was not that same woman, one thing was clear; Law did not trust her, he couldn't. His crew were on an important assignment, and it seemed a little too strange that she would appear at that time and in that place.

'Is she a plant? Does he suspect me?'

Trafalgar Law needed to make sure all of his thoughts were in order before they finally spoke.

A soft moan sounded from behind her closed lips, her awaking drawing nearer as she left her placid dreams and entered into her nightmares.

She likely tossed and turned as much mentally as she did physically. Her sickbed, and her regular dosage of medication kept her safe from the movements of her nightmares, restraining her by reducing her muscle activity, and making her appear to be at peace, though Law assumed that she was not. Her dreams, he imagined, were vivid ones. Her heart rate would always increase as the renewal time for her medication approached, and she often move dangerously close to the edge of the mattress. If it was not for the adjustable guards at the side of the bed frame that contained her, then she would no doubt have ended up on the floor. But, it was never the cold metal ground that viciously woke her. It was always her dark dreams that violently pulled her back to consciousness.

* * *

_Once the villagers had vacated Bellmere's mikan grove, to treat Genzo and prepare her mother for her burial later that day, Nami returned to the empty house._

_She approached from around back. There was no way Nami could cope with seeing the very spot where her mother had been murdered, not so soon after the event. She imagined her blood would still be staining the grass, afraid that that image would stay with her and forever haunt her. She was barely holding herself together as it was, knowing that she could have stopped Arlong from pulling the trigger, she didn't need to see graphic evidence of what she could have forestalled._

_A lump formed in her throat at the very thought of it, the gruesome memory dancing at the back of her mind, while bitter remorse pumped painfully through her veins. How could she look upon that spot when she knew she could have prevented it?_

_Her stomach turned as she stepped through the back door. Guilt and anxiety mixing in her gut, making her feel like a recreant child returning home, expecting some sort of punishment, though she knew their would be none save for the mental torment she was putting herself through._

_A dull ache had developed in her chest, like someone had removed her heart, utterly pulverised it, then returned the bruised organ to her. She wanted to leave immediately. Nami's anguish was so overwhelming it caused her to feel unwelcome and unwanted, as though she was an intruder in her own home._

_Much like an intruder, Nami was only there to take a few items that did not belong to her. Though, she was only interested in things that she needed, possessions that were no longer required by their original owner, and belonged to neither Nojiko or herself. What she needed would not be missed, and Nami consoled herself with that._

_"In and out." She told herself aloud, and with a deep sigh she stepped into the kitchen._

_The oven rings were still blazing, and beginning to burn the meal Bellmere was preparing for Nojiko and her younger self, not too long ago. Nami switched them off, and gave Bellmere's special mikan sauce a stir before lifting the ladle to blow on it, in order to have a taste of the cooled liquid._

_Hot tears stung her eyes as the familiar flavour filled her mouth, mentally tearing her apart. It was the sauce Bellmere made after every fallout they'd had. Memories rushed back to her of the three of them sitting down to dinner, talking, and soothing the atmosphere to make everything alright again. Only this time, it wouldn't be alright. 'Would it ever be alright again?' Bellmere was gone, and the taste of her special sauce only made Nami feel worse for not trying to save her._

_With every breath she took her pain deepened, as though the very air of her mother's house was a poisonous gas that was slowly destroying her. Nami didn't want to linger any longer, and she rushed to Bellmere's wardrobe to changed into some of her clothes._

_As she slipped on a pair of jeans, Nami noticed that the wounds on her inner thighs were an angry shade of pink. 'Infection is setting in already.' She recognised, carefully pulling the denim over the effected area. 'I'll need some belli for a doctor.' She thought, briefly checking the bottom of the wardrobe, though she knew there wouldn't be any. She buttoned up her shirt, then stuffed a couple of garments into a small bag, ensuring to take her dress with her so no one that she had been there._

_She glanced around the house one last time before leaving. Who knew when she would see it again, or if she would ever see return here in the future, her future. She hoped she would be able to, but so much was unclear to her now. Nami knew she had to keep faith in her captain that he would see her safely returned home, to the Thousand Sunny._

_As she began to walk away, Nami glimpsed the framed photograph of the three of them on the small table, and she stopped to pick it up and glance over it. "I'm sorry, Bellmere-san." She said, and her voiced cracked as she broke down in tears, and her hand quaked as she set the photograph back on the table. 'Would Bellmere ever understand her reasons?' She wondered, and decided then that she would visit her grave that night to explain, and hopefully clear her conscience. She didn't to speak with her, and felt that she also owed it to Bellmere to try to justify herself._

_Nami froze as she got to the back door. The last time she had left that house she had felt as though Bellmere had given her an encouraging nudge forward, knowing she would have a happy and exciting future, and telling her to not fear or regret leaving._

_She feared leaving now._

_What if she felt something this time? If she did, would it be the same encouraging nudge, or an ostracising shove, one that would burn away the last of the threads that were scarcely holding Nami's mind together._

_Nami took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stepped forward._

* * *

Nami awoke from her dream-memory with a start, leaping forward to sit upright in her bed, jerking herself from her unhappy subconscious state. It was as though she had felt that shove from Bellmere, the one that she feared, but hadn't actually received.

A flash of yellow appeared in her vision as two hands were quickly placed on her shoulders, and the Surgeon of Death stood up to lean over her, forcing her back down again.

"Relax." His low voice sounded. His eyes narrowed as he spoke, telling her it was an order rather than a request. "Any stress or abrupt movements could set off your infection again."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a long moment, trying to calm herself while Law weighed heavily on her shoulders. "You're hurting me." Nami informed him, not bothering to open her eyes and see his grimace as he released her, but she imagined she heard it in the small huff that he made.

"Can you tell me what's wrong with me now?" Nami asked, she didn't even attempt to hide the hint of irritation in her voice. She was quite desperate to know what had be causing her stiffness and muscles seizures, and the severity of her ailment. She had stirred many times since she last saw him, but on every occasion she was guarded by a different member of his crew, and each had remained perfectly taciturn in her company. Shachi was the only one who seemed inclined to speak with her, but he had removed her breathing apparatus and had cautioned her against speaking at the time. "None of your friends would tell me anything."

"I am the Doctor on this crew. None of my men are really qualified to disclose any information to you." He said coolly as he reached for a stethoscope at her bed side. His laid back attitude quickly became icy as he continued, "And they are under strict instruction to not converse with you."

Nami met his guarded eyes with a scowl of her own. "Is a sick, bedridden woman, who was unable to speak really that much of a threat that they couldn't even tell me what was wrong?"

His eyes hardened at her question, silently reprimanding her for bold attitude. "Do you know who I am?" He asked with an air of annoyance. "Do you have any idea where you are?"

"A hospital." She quickly declared, remembering to hide what she knew of him. It was half true after all since the submarine belonged to him, the Dark Doctor.

He smirked at her as he seated himself back down on the edge of her bed. "This is a pirate ship." Law announced, darkening his expression as he leaned over her to try to intimidate her.

It worked.

Nami swallowed hard, trying to force herself further into the bed to put some distance between them. She remembered then that this was not the man she knew, and he did not know her. He was not her ally, and he owed her nothing. Trafalgar Law was the Surgeon of Death. A man who constantly had a higher bounty than her captain, and who had obtained a very dark and nasty reputation through his early pirating days; one that she had not learned any details about how he had actually acquired it.

She was not safe with him, and was certainly not safe from him.

His aura certainly felt different to brooding yet compassionate man she knew in the future. 'What changed him?' She wondered, but as he slowly moved away from her to sit up straight again, Nami saw a familiar trait in him as he perceived her obvious fear; she recognised his concern, but concern for what exactly, she was unsure of.

"You understand the position you're in, I take it." He said in a relaxed tone, softening his expression.

Nami nodded, but was unable to release the tension from within her.

"Relax." He ordered her again, putting the buds of the stethoscope into his ears, and placing the receiver which had been warming in the palm of his hand against her chest.

Nami stared up into his eyes as he examined her, watching every movement his calculating, golden irises made as he placed the receiver at different locations to listen to her heart and lungs. She tried to calm herself, but through his intimating actions a moment ago, Nami doubted he needed any aid to hear her heart. She could feel it beating in her chest, and thundering in her ears, but she saw no hint of triumph in his face to show that he was proud of how he had affected her.

With a contemplative frown, Law removed to receiver from off her chest, and unhooked the stethoscope from his ears. "There's no signs of diaphragmatic paralysis, and no complications from your laryngeal spasms, but I will have to keep monitoring you for hypertension and tachycardia. Your current distressed state makes it difficult to judge."

'Hypertension and tachycardia?' Nami did have some medical knowledge, but she had not heard those terms before. She was about to ask Law what they meant, but he must have recognised her confusion and spoke again before she got chance to. "High blood pressure and rapid heart beat."

"And what caused it?" Nami asked again, calmly this time, hoping to finally get her answer.

"How did you come by those wounds on your stomach and inner thighs?" Law asked as he put the stethoscope back on her bedside, and got up to move over to one of the metal counters in the operatory.

Nami shifted slightly in her bed, uncomfortable both mentally and physically. She contemplated whether or not she should tell him the truth, trying to force her mind back to the conversation she'd had with him in the future, after he had found her. 'He didn't push for too much information then.' She remembered, but was that because he was only her ally, or because it simply didn't matter to him? Since Dressrosa, he had always been cold and seemed unconcerned with her, so she never really wondered why he hadn't pressed for more information. As the doctor treating her then, surely he would have needed to know more, just as the man treating her now would require more information.

"I slipped down a piling into the ocean." She said, and Law hummed in acknowledgement from the counter as he rummaged through a refrigerated cabinet.

She was reluctant to say anything, but knew he would eventually see the saturated and terrified state she was in when he would help her escape from her memory of Gideon, and aid her return to the Thousand Sunny that day in the future.

_"I'll be treating you whether you like it or not."_

The sudden memory of his words struck her then, and like a bolt of lightning, pain coursed through her entire body.

The Dark Doctor quickly rushed to her bedside and injected the contents of a hypodermic needle into her IV, instantly calming Nami's muscles and easing her pain.

"You have the neurotoxin Clostridium Tetani in your nervous system." He began to explain as Nami slowly settled. "You need to stay relaxed, and not induce any muscle spasms. They are spontaneous, but can be provoked by visual, auditory or emotional stimuli. If you are not careful the infection could result in ruptured tendons, fractured bones, dislocated limbs, and even respiratory arrest."

"What?" Nami panicked, and pain resounded through her body again at that information from him.

"I am administering regular shots of benzodiazepines to treat your tetanus, but I feel your require further sedation." Law said as he emptied the contents of another hypodermic into her IV.

Nami looked at him lazily as she began to drift off, remembering the day he first started her treatment. _"You still need antibiotics and a teta-"_ Were all the words she caught from him as she walked out of Sunny's infirmary, and slammed the door behind her. 'A tetanus shot. That's what he was going to say. Did he already know? Is that why he said he'd be treating me whether I liked it or not?'

She felt betrayed by him. The very thought that he somehow knew this would happen to her, it was crushing realisation that brought tears to her eyes. 'Does he hate me that much that he would allow me to go through all of this?' She wondered

'I hate you.' She silently told him as she slipped back to sleep.

* * *

  _"when dreams die or fade away, and all of life is stark,"_


	12. Contrition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece and all of its wonderful characters.

 

Days had passed, and probably more than Nami could recall in her medicated state, but she'd already given up on trying to track time, long before she became lost in it.

This was her reality now, she had resigned herself to that fact. All she could do was wait it out until her captain found a way to bring her back. What was the point in her keeping track of how long she would be separated from them?

She was well enough to move around now, and Penguin had informed her that she was required up on deck very shortly. This would be her first time out on deck, and her first time leaving the infirmary since she awoke on Law's submarine. She often roused in an unguarded room, his crew was not monitoring her as closely anymore, but she had no desire to leave the medical quarters. She didn't want to give them cause to question her. How would she explain who she was? Nami didn't even know how Law's crew had found her, or where. There was just too many questions she did not know how to answer, so she didn't want to be around them.

Besides the unwanted questions, Nami knew the Heart Pirates too well, and didn't quite know how she would disguise that. They weren't as close to her as her nakama, and never would be, but the two crews had been through so much together that there was a deep bond between them, or so she felt. It would hurt her to interact with them when they had no regard for her. She was already stretched emotionally. New wounds had picked at the scabs of old ones opening them up to be more painful than ever. Nami did not need the icy attitudes of the Heart Pirates to cause her any more heartache, or to rub salt into what was already quite a few devastating wounds.

"Hey." A voice called to her from the door. Was she so lost in thought that she didn't hear Penguin open it? "The captain wants you up on deck. Now." He ordered.

Nami nodded, and though she was very uncomfortable with the idea of wandering around in a patient gown she carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed and slowly climbed out from beneath the sheets.

Penguin held the door open for her in silence and lingered there as she passed. "Which way?" She remembered to ask. Nami didn't want to make it seem like she had even the slightest inkling as to where she was going.

Penguin didn't answer. He lowered his head slightly then grabbed her tightly at the elbow to lead her outside.

Nami looked back and forth down the corridor as they walked, glancing in each room they passed. The familiarity was comforting to her rather than being upsetting. 'Perhaps this won't be so hard after all.' She thought to herself, just as the submarine started to ascend, causing her to loose her balance. Penguin gave her a not so gentle tug to steady her on her feet, and helped guide her in the direction of the outer door.

"What does he want with me?" Nami finally asked. She had wondered since Penguin first told her she was to go up on deck, and Law's harsh demeanour when she first awoke didn't help her to rule out the possibility of her walking the plank. They were pirates, after all.

"He wants to see you. That's all you need to know." Penguin said coldly as he started to turn the valve on the bulwark door. "Go." He continued, pushing the heavy door open so Nami could exit the submarine.

As she stepped out on deck Nami was met by a gust of wind that was so fierce it made her unable to breathe for a moment as it rushed down her wind pipe. Her hides whipped to her sides to hold her gown in place, and she turned her head and gasped for breath, catching a glimpse of Law reclining against his submarine as she did.

He glanced at her lazily out of the corner of his eye, then turned his attention back to the direction of the sub, seemingly unaffected by the howling wind and the churning ocean. "I thought you should witness this." He shouted to her.

Nami could just about hear him over the wind and the waves. Though it was difficult to stand against the elements, nevermind breathe, Nami turned to see what it was exactly that Law wanted her to observe.

They were travelling along a narrow canal with rocks to either side in a multitude of reds and browns. A heavy bank of fog lay not too far before them, hugging the earth and ocean tightly. It was so dense that Nami couldn't even see even a foot beyond it. 'That's not fog.' She soon realised, and the white veil quickly enveloped her.

"Do you know where you are?" Law shouted behind her, startling her.

Of course she knew, but surely she couldn't let him know that. Is that why he wanted her on deck, to find out how much she knew about the Grand Line, if anything? Many pirates had entered the Grand Line and quickly fled with their tail between their legs. Any information on its unpredictable and turbulent seas was priceless to the right person.

Don Grieg was one such man, Nami remembered with a heavy heart as that memory brought forward thoughts of her nakama. It was his appearance at the Baratie that allowed her the opportunity to end her alliance with Luffy and quietly slip away with his ship. Little did she know then that he would follow after her with a newly acquired enamoured chef, determined to have her as his navigator.

Nami cut off her train of thought then not wanting to think too much about Cocoyashi, and remembering that Law had asked her a question. "Where?" She asked absently as she turned in his direction.

She was unable to see him momentarily through the dense clouds, but they quickly passed through and Law came into sight wearing a smirk she was very familiar with. "Reverse Mountain." He said, then nodded towards the front of the sub.

Nami looked around to see a beautiful circular rainbow ahead of them, the convergence point of the five canals up at the top of the Red Line. 'The summit.' She smiled. Nami could remember it well, and a weight settled on her chest as she recalled Luffy's excitement as they sailed over it. It seemed wrong somehow that she was experiencing it again with a different crew.  
She wanted to go back to the infirmary.

She rushed for the handrail then, remembering the weightlessness that followed as the Going Merry reached the apex of Reverse Mountain and left the ocean's surface. The crash back down was a painful experience, and one that she did not wish to relive. Nami stretched out her arm to grab the rail just as her feet left the safety of the deck. 'Shit.'

In mid-air, Nami was anticipating the fall back to the sub when Law's _Room_ passed in front of her. She internally growled at him, somehow hating the use of his ability more now than she ever had before, perhaps because she felt the distance between them had grown somewhat.

He quickly transported her back onto the deck by the handrail; safe, where she couldn't fall off. She didn't thank him as the ship rushed towards the Grand Line, she couldn't. All Nami could think about as she held on tight was the last time she experienced Law using his ability to transport her somewhere, the Thousand Sunny's infirmary, right before he let this happen to her. Her rational mind was telling her that him knowing what would happen, if he did in fact know, and not stopping her from being sent through time, that it was just the same as her situation with Bellmere. She knew it was best to not cling on to hatred, especially not now, but she wasn't sure how she could ever forgive him for that, or if she ever would.

Did that mean that her mother wouldn't be able to forgive her either? If she was still alive. Nami really didn't want to think about it. That realisation alone was crushing, and it brought tears to her eyes and a suffocating weight to her chest. Nami lost her grip on the handrail just as the submarine finally reached sea level in the grand line. She stumbled backwards, crashing into Law in the process.

"You okay?" He asked, placing a hand on her back to help her steadily to her feet.

"I'm fine." She said, swallowing hard to rid herself of the lump in her throat, and quickly stepping out of Law's touch. She felt she could still feel a ghost of his hand on her back though. "Why was it important for me to see that?" Nami quickly asked, needing a distraction from her thoughts about Bellmere.

"The adrenaline. I wanted to see if it would affect you condition." Law smiled, then quickly called for his _Room_ and transported them both back to the infirmary before Nami could ask any questions.

"I told you that your muscle spasms can be provoked by visual, auditory or emotional stimuli, so I wanted to see if you would react to that experience. You didn't. You seem to be recuperating quite well." Law informed her as she seated herself on her bed with an angry sigh.

'Twice in one day!' She wanted to scream at him, but she bit back her anger. He was only trying to help, she supposed.

"Though you are far from healthy." Law continued over her thoughts. "Anything too intense could kill you."

Then couldn't that experience have killed her? 'Surely there is a better way of monitoring my recovery?' Nami fumed. "Why are you bothering to treat me anyway? Why not just let me off at the next island?"

"I've already accepted a substantial payment for your treatment, so it would be wrong to just abandon you." Law laughed as he headed towards the door.

"Payment? From who?" She asked, whipping her head in his direction, utterly confused.

Law turned his head and smirked at her over his shoulder. "From you, of course. My crew were delighted when they rummaged through you clothes and found gold in your pockets."

"My gold." She gasped. "Give it back! I never asked for your help."

Law turned to her fully then, his expression darkening as he regarded her. "Should I return it to you then, and leave you in the middle of the ocean where I found you?"

"No." She quickly replied, taking her eyes off of him, and completely turning away. She didn't want to stay on his ship, but she certainly didn't want to be left in the middle of the ocean to die either. 'I have to survive.' She told herself as she thought of her crew.

"Why were you there, drifting. What happened?" he inquired. Law's tone seemed a little warmer to her than a moment ago.

'The middle of the ocean, that's where he found me? How am I going to explain that!' She wondered. "I don't know." Nami replied, and it was the truth. She didn't really know the full extent of what was happening to her, so she didn't feel too bad for not revealing anything to him. It was unlikely that he would believe her anyway, she assured herself.

"Fine." he said in annoyed tone, then Nami heard his footsteps as he walked towards the door, stopping just before he exited. "Since you are going to be a resident on board my ship for the foreseeable future," he started as he turned to face her. "what's your name?"

'Shit!' Nami internally cursed. She knew she couldn't give him her real name. It was difficult for her to believe that any of them could forget her already, so there was no way any of them would not remember her if she told him. It wasn't exactly a common name, and her bright orange hair wouldn't help her in being unmemorable. Her mind quickly ran through every name she could think of, but she needed something similar to her own to ensure that she answered to it. 'Cami, Sami ...'

"Lami." She blurted out, instantly regretting it as she watched Law's expression change. His nostrils flared, and his face slowly screwed into a scowl. Nami could instantly see that it had struck a wrong cord with him, it was obvious in his eyes.

'What have I done?'

* * *

_**Simultaneously …** _

"What did you just do?" Law demanded, though he suspected that he already knew.

Despite the fact that he was able to keep his expression calm, Law could hear the tension in his own voice as he spoke, and he kept his eyes fixed on the fishman as he extended his left arm to summon his _Room_ , and engulf the Thousand Sunny in its custodial blue aura.

"I've brought her forward in time, so we can meet on our allotted day." The fishman sneered, and though the corners of the tiger shark's mouth were naturally turned down, Law could see them curl to nasty smirk as he continued to speak. "Until now, I have never been able to use my ability in conjunction with my physical self. But now, with her assistance ..." Nornir paused, returning Law's glare as he continued to smirk at him, his smile turning to a toothy grin as a heavy silence fell upon the galley, pushing Law's patience to its limit. Law narrowed his eyes at the fishman, and practically growled at him until Nornir finished, "she can help me become omnipotent." He finally continued through a dark snicker.

'Omnipotent?' Law questioned as his stomach knotted. 'Does he mean to use her as a way to awaken his Devil Fruit?' Law recalled the horror he felt after first witnessing Doflamingo's awakened ability, and the state it left Dressrosa in. The knot in his stomach twisted tighter, almost as if his insides had folded in on themselves. The possibility of what powers Nornir could hold, what an awaking could unleash; the ability to send someone through time was already a great endowment, but to bend time and space as he saw fit, that was truly transcendental. 'He has to be stopped.'

"What are you talking about?!" Luffy fumed, and once again his temper boiled beyond mastery as he gripped the fishman's shoulders, preparing to hit him.

"Time waits for no man. Except, perhaps, for me." Nornir proclaimed in a sardonic tone, seemingly unafraid of what Luffy might do to him.

Law hurried forward as Luffy raised his arm to strike Nornir. "Stop, Mugiwara-ya." He insisted.

"Why? He's hurt my nakama!" Luffy said in a tone of utter confusion, refusing to let go of the fishman who began squirming in the grip. "I wanna kick his ass!"

"I understand," Law sighed as he stepped around the large dining table separating them, forcing his features into an unreadable mask. He didn't want to show any emotion in front of the fishman, their enemy had enough leverage over them as it was, "but if you hurt him we may never get Nami-ya back."

"Oh, she'll be back." The fishman informed them, his eyes shining with haughty promise. "Briefly." He finished, falling to his knees in an attempt to shake off Luffy's hold on him. "Not that it will matter. By then, I will have the power to undo everything myself." He said weakly, as though some of his strength had left him in his fettered state.

"Power? You can't even stand!" Luffy argued, finally releasing the fishman and pushing him backwards so he was flat on the floor. "Just bring my nakama back before I send you flying."

Law watched as the fishman struggled to slowly sit up again. He squeezed his eyes shut, grimacing as he moved. Once upright, he placed one of his large teal hands on the back of his head. "You won't hurt me anymore." He claimed, removing his hand from his wounded head, smiling as he observed his own blood on his palm.

Law's breath caught in his throat when he saw just how much blood coated the fishman's hand. 'Time is running out. I need to stop that wound from haemorrhaging.' He thought to himself, watching as Luffy began to step closer to Nornir.

"I'll do whatever I need to." His ally growled as he loomed over the fishman, clenching both his fists while his eyes bored into his enemy.

As though the weight of Luffy's stare had become too much for him to bear, the fishman slumped his shoulders and lowered his head, and his eyes shut as sluggishly as his words left his lips. "You won't. She's too important to you-"

"They're all important to me." Luffy shouted, aggressively interrupting him, and jolting the fishman into a trembling state of full consciousness as he grabbed him by his life jacket again.

Law watched with satisfaction as Nornir recoiled at the ferocity in Luffy's voice. The fishman's constant show of effrontery had smarted his own confidence in being able to control the situation, and to bring Nami-ya back, but seeing the fishman stare with wide-eyes and in shock, almost as if the Strawhat's captain had used his Haoshoka haki, it renewed Law's hope that Nornir was still vulnerable, and that defeating him was a possibility.

"A battle is pointless." Nornir started, recomposing himself for a moment. "I am always connected to the people I send through time, so unless you want her to be lost forever, I suggest you leave me unharmed." He advised, slumping back in Luffy's grip.

"Let go of him, Mugiwara-ya." Law said evenly, placing his hand on Luffy's arm to calm his ally.

Law knew Luffy could get fired up, and that the fishman's words had deeply gotten to him. Though Nornir had angered him too, it was still easy to forget that he was not the only one invested in defeating the fishman.

With his hand still resting over Luffy's biceps, Law could literally feel that Luffy was wound even more tightly as he was. He could feel the tension in Luffy's frame as all of his muscles flexed with an almost uncontrollable rage.

"I need to examine his injuries." Law pleaded as he removed his hand.

After a few deep, audible breaths Luffy turned to Law. "Not until you tell me exactly what's going on, and why you are helping him."

There wasn't doubt in Luffy's eyes as he looked at him for answers. Law knew he still had his trust, he was just truly confounded by not knowing his motive.

In his time spend with the Strawhat crew, and his observations before that, Law had come to know that Luffy was extraordinary at missing the obvious and failed to grasp the simplest of things, yet he possessed a perspicacity for knowing exactly what needed to be done, and whose side he should be on. He saw everything in black and white, and Law's recent behaviour certainly fell somewhere amidst the grey area, casting a dark shadow over what were actually good intentions. He would have to explain everything to help Luffy to truly understand. Nornir already knew that Nami-ya was with him in the past, it was exactly where the fishman wanted her to be, so there was no danger in telling Luffy anything while their enemy was present.

He paused for a moment, wetting his lips, and getting his words in order. "This fishman has sent Nami-ya back in time-"

"And what about the rest of my crew?" Luffy quickly interrupted him.

Law clicked his tongue. "I already told you, they are on my submarine, with my crew." He breathed deeply to rid himself of his annoyance at Luffy's inability to retain information. "I ordered them to submerge, and stay submerged until either you are I tell them it is safe to return. The power of the ocean will protect them from his ability."

Luffy nodded, the relief of knowing his nakama were safe was evident in his posture. "So why didn't you protect Nami?" He snapped, returning to a semi agitated state.

"Because I knew he was targeting her." He sighed ruefully. Remorse had weighed heavily on him from the moment he let this happen, but he didn't regret his to decision to not intervene.

"If you knew then why didn't you tell me?!" Luffy asked, his voice hitching with unrest.

Law glanced at the fishman whose lips twitched weakly, unable to suppress a smirk, but too exhausted to retain one. "I needed him to send her back-"

"So you are on his side!" Luffy shouted, releasing the fishman to turn his full attention on Law.

"No Mugiwara-ya, just listen to me." Law insisted with a hint of urgency, bracing himself incase his ally attacked. "Right now, the Nami-ya who just disappeared from this table is with me, safe on my ship, five years ago, in _my_ past." He explained slowly, hoping his relaxed tempo would make his words easier to grasp, and relying on the calm to quite Luffy's temper. "It is because of the time we spent together that I came to your aid at Marineford, it's the reason I saved your life. It is the reason decided to form an alliance with you." His speech quickened as his reasons unfolded. "I had to be sure it _was_ her."

"So if you didn't make friends with her in the past then we wouldn't be friends now?"

"Correct." Law closed his eyes at hearing the word _friend_ , but he had become so used to hearing it from Luffy that it hardly bothered him any more. "And If I hadn't let him send Nami-ya back in time, then Doflamingo might still be at large."

Luffy stared at Law for a moment, his eyes boring into him as if he was searching for more answers. And there were more, other reasons for why Law had wanted her to be sent to his past, but ultimately his revenge for Corazon was all the premise he needed, and the only motive he wished to share at that moment.

"Did she ask you to let this happen?" Luffy asked in a dreary voice, closing his eyes as he spoke.

"No." Law paused. It only really hit him then just how brave she was for not trying to stop this from happening to her. "Back then, she knew me, she knew everything that was going to happen, and she didn't warn me. She never even told me who she was."

"Why not?" Luffy asked, screwing up his face in confusion.

"Because she was protecting my future, and her past." Law explained, feeling more guilty now than ever for all the ill thoughts and feelings he'd bore for her over the last five years. "She knew that telling me anything could effect what was going to happen."

"So, she wanted you to let this happen to her?"

"Not initially, no. But eventually, by the end of all of this," He paused for a moment recalling everything that he had been through with her. "after our time together, then I believe she would have allowed it. Otherwise she would have said something, to warn me, and to prevent all this."

"There is no way you could have stopped me!" Nornir chimed.

Law knew it was a false claim. If Nami-ya had been weak minded then all of this could have been avoided. He sighed knowing that time might move differently for her, that the longer they took to get her back, the greater the chance that she could possibly be lost to them for good. 'We need to hurry.'

* * *


	13. Revelation: Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece.

 

"There is no way you could have stopped me." Nornir declared in an exasperated tone. "Even if she had warned you," he continued, lazily, "I would have found her."

Though he wanted nothing more than to cut the fishman in two, his knuckles whitened as he clenched his fist around the sheath of his sword, forcing himself to not draw it. "How _did_ you find her?" Law snapped, asking his question through gritted teeth. He knew time was running out, but there were certain things that he needed to know the answers to, and this particular one had been nagging at him.

Nornir slumped a little deeper into where he sitting, smarting Law out of his angry state as concern took its place. "Electrolocation. One of the benefits of being a shark fishman is that it somehow seems to work just as well on land as it does in the sea." Nornir paused as he reached up and placed a hand over his temple as he looked at Law. His eyes seemed to be slowly glazing over, as though he was having trouble focusing. "And that weapon of hers, that gives off a strong charge even when it's dormant." he finished with a weak but sly smirk.

Law clicked his tongue, but managed to remain calm. Every inch of him wanted to make the fishman pay for what he had done, but he had to restrain himself. There was no telling what would happen to Nami-ya if Nornir fell unconscious, or if he died before they brought her back.

"Electrolocation?" Luffy repeated.

Law could hear the frustration in Luffy's voice. He imagined that too much had happened in such a short space of time for his ally to have been able to grasp everything properly, or anything at all. He may have been confused too if he hadn't spent years trying to figure out exactly what was going to occur, and even now he was still a little too overwhelmed for his liking.

"Every living thing unconsciously produces bioelectricity," Law began to explain to Luffy, refusing to take his eyes off the waning fishman, "and sharks hunt by generating a bioelectric field, detecting distortions in it to track their prey. It's probably how his Devil Fruit ability has been affecting her for the past couple of weeks."

"Ah." Luffy exclaimed in understanding, very unconvincingly.

"And her Clima-Tact, with its electrical attacks, it only made it easier for him to pin point Nami-ya."

"There was that," Nornir began, his condition brightening as he spoke, "and when I met her five years ago, I searched her memories and saw myself send her back through time. I knew roughly where she would be, just as I know when and where to search for her in the future that my past self sent her to."

Law suddenly began to feel sick and light headed, as though all of his blood had been drained from his body and a foot had been planted in his stomach as he heard that statement. 'I never considered the possibility of her not coming back to this time. What have I done?' "What do you mean the future your past self sent her to?"

"I've heard enough." Luffy said, balling his fist and drawing his arm back.

"Mugiwara-ya, stop!"

* * *

_**Aforetime ...** _

His angry exit caused the click of his shoes to resound heavily off the metal flooring of his ship. It was loud at first, penetrating the corridors of his submarine like the intrusive ticking of a clock on a sleep deprived mind. He could hear it over the sound of his blood rushing in his ears and the beat of his thundering heart, but all of those sounds were soon drowned out as Law's mind churned over the conversation that had taken place between his patient and himself.

" _What's your name?"_

" _Lami."_

His question and her answer both played over and over again in his mind, haunting him as he made his way to the bridge. He was already in two minds about what to do with her, still undecided if he needed the answers to all the questions surrounding her. He never expected that name to leave her lips, but as it did, his suspicions were raised, and Law felt as though he had been punched in the gut. She troubled him, and now the very thought of her tormented him.

Law paused outside the door to the bridge, "I never told anyone her name." he assured himself before turning the handle and stepping inside.

Shachi glanced over his shoulder as he entered. "We're on route, captain." he said, turning his attention back to the control panel. Penguin and Bepo looked on in silence.

Law seated himself in the empty chair next to Shachi, "Good." he said, leaning his sword against the arm rest, then pushing both of his hands beneath his hat and fisting them into his dark hair. He stared at his knees letting his mind race. 'Is it just a coincidence?' Law wondered. He could not keep the thoughts at bay that his patient may have been purposely placed so that he would find her. Though he couldn't remember her properly, he was convinced that she was the woman that he helped five years ago. The karat of gold that his crew had found in her pockets suggested that it was her, and so far he had treated her in order to corroborate that. But now, after her speaking that name, it all felt too convenient.

'Lami. It is a common name …' his mind argued, but his parents where renowned doctors, and if the births, deaths, and marriage logs from Flevance had been preserved then a person of means could easily discover his sister's name. 'Would he really go that far?' Law asked himself. Though he may have only been a foolish child, Law knew Doflamingo well. He had spend a great deal of time admiring the man, and learning everything he could from him. Doflamingo was arrogant and dangerously shrewd, if he wanted Law to suspect this _Lami_ then it would be obvious. And it was, to a degree. Her circumstances were just too suspicious for her to not be connected to Joker, but something was off, something was missing. But, perhaps that misdirection was the point, to throw Law off.

'What sort of advantage would Joker gain by telling her to use that name, forcing me to be doubtful of her? And if she is working for Doflamingo, then what exactly does he want. What's their goal?' he wondered. Was it to observe if he mistreated her and lived up to his nasty reputation? Was it to see if Law would abandon her, or was it to just plainly test whether or not Law was loyal to him and would see this objective through?

'The timing is too convenient.' Law reminded himself as his eyes peered between his forearms and found the eternal pose that was resting next to the helm. 'She has to be working for him. How could she have no explanation as to why we found her drifting in the North Blue, right where he had boarded the Tenjoukin vessel. He must have discovered her that night, and taken her into his service.'

Law could feel his skin becoming clammy, and he was quite certain it wasn't due to the usual humidity of his submarine. He was fine with a third party delivering messages, and running this errand because he didn't have to have any contact with the man. The very thought of Doflamingo made him a little panicky. He was sure he could feel his throat constricting, and he could hear his blood rushing in his ears. Law wasn't ready to confront him yet, 'and if this _Lami_ is working for him-'

"Captain." Bepo said.

His title sounded to him like a question, but Law grunted in response, not willing to give up on his train of thought just yet. 'should I just abandon her on the next island, or do I see if I can try to turn her against him?'

"Captain?" Penguin asked this time.

"No, I still don't trust her." he said, briskly untangling his fingers from his hair, and failing to keep his usual cool demeanour. "In fact, I think I trust her less."

"Then let's kill her." one of his crewmen chirped.

"If she is a member of Joker's family then we can't kill her." Law explained, sharply. "We'd have the entire Donquixote family after us then. Everything must go according to my plan. I'm not ready for him to suspect anything yet."

"Then can't we use her to our advantage?" Penguin asked.

"I will be testing her, but Doflamingo wouldn't sent someone weak to oversee or intervene at such a central part of an important plan. He would entrust it only to his strongest and most loyal family members, or he would not bother at all."

Law's own words brought a sour taste to his mouth. He loathed the thought of possibly having an executive on board his ship, but that wasn't the only reason for his distress. As far as Law knew, he was still in line for the Heart seat. He didn't want it, but he didn't want anyone else to claim it either. It was Corazon's. Was _Lami_ an executive? Was she next in line for the Heart seat, sent to gain Law's trust and then overthrow him?

Maybe he was over thinking the entire situation, but Law knew Doflamingo all too well. He knew that Joker was a very intelligent, ambitious and devious man, all of which counted him amongst the most dangerous people in the world. "If she is here simply for reconnaissance, or is a gear in his master plan sent to alter our objective; she's going to have a set of very sharp teeth. Be careful." Law advised his crew. 'She has already wounded me.'

"But captain," Shachi started, nervously, "what if she's just an injured woman?"

"Then she's going to get a very nasty glimpse at how the underworld operates, and even perhaps claim her first life." Law paused to regard his fidgeting crewman with a dark smirk. "She'll get to see how the real world operates."

Trafalgar Law got up out of the chair then, grabbing his sword by its scabbard as he did, "Everyone back to your stations, and Bepo, go keep an eye on her. I'll be in my quarters if anyone needs me."

"Aye, captain."

'Abandoning her might be for the best. She will end up dead if she stays on my ship.'

* * *

Nami remained frozen in place for quite a few moments, staring at the infirmary door and picturing Law as he turned and walked out, closing it swiftly behind him.

'Why did I say Lami? There's so many other names I could have chosen.' Nami chided herself, remembering the look on Law's face. His scowl was dark and heavy, much the same as the one he showed her in the future, the one that clearly displayed that he had a problem with her.

'Idiot. Why'd you have to go and piss him off like that? You're not safe from him, remember.' she thought as she lay down in her cot. She could feel the gentle beat of her heart in her throat and wondered why she was not more afraid. 'Must be the med's.' she assumed. Nami knew she couldn't allow herself to relax around Law or his crew, and she certainly shouldn't have been provoking him. 'He's not your ally.' She reminded herself again, trying not to think about the bad reputation he had amassed.

Nami closed her eyes and took a deep breath to try to clear her mind of the crimes he may have committed, and as she did she felt the submarine begin to dip beneath the waves. Ignoring the slight ache in her neck, she turned her head towards the window and watched as the water line crept over it.

The deeper they delved, the heavier the sensation became in Nami's chest. 'The Grand Line.' her mind whispered, calling forth the memory of when she entered with her crew. She could hear Luffy's and Usopp's laughter which quickly turned to screams as the Going Merry reached the summit and then spilled down Reverse Mountain.

" _I can see it. The greatest ocean in the world, the Grand Line."_ she remembered Luffy saying as they began to pass through the clouds, then Zoro asked her if she heard something strange.

"Laboon!" she said, bolting upright in her bed. 'He should be here.' she thought to herself, raising her hand to unconsciously cover her broadening smile. Nami scrambled off of her bed as fast as her body would allow and peered through the glass, out into the ocean.

She excitedly scanned the water beyond the window, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of her crew's friend. A gentle warmth kindled inside her as she thought about her nakama, remembering how Zoro had argued with Crocus about proper manners, and of how her captain had fought with the Laboon to stop him from injuring himself. A bitter sadness quickly soured her mood as she recalled Brook's tale. 'Fifty years being separated from his nakama ...'

"What's a Laboon?" a voice sounded behind her.

Nami quickly turned around, startled. "You scared me." she said, swallowing hard. Not knowing if the lump in her throat was due to her empathy, or if it should be accredited to Bepo for surprising her.

"I'm sorry." The Heart Pirate's navigator lowered his head and tucked his hands in the pockets of his orange overalls as he spoke. "The captain said it's dangerous alarm you because of your condition."

She couldn't help but smile warmly at Bepo's conduct. He was always well mannered and apologetic, so it was good to see he was still the same polar bear she knew, even he was a lot colder towards her than what she was used to. "It's alright."

"What is a Laboon?" he asked again.

"It's just a name my friends use for a whale." she said with a deep sigh, turning back to the window. Her heart was heavy from seeing nothing save for fish. 'He wouldn't know who you are anyway.' she lamented, once again feeling isolated and alone, despite the fact that she had people she knew around her. They just weren't her friends yet, not for another five years.

"Oh." Bepo said, then closed the infirmary door and seated himself close to it.

Nami furrowed her brows as she watched Bepo sit down. Recently she had been waking up to find herself unguarded, so why all of a sudden is she being monitored again? She didn't bother to ask the question. After countless fruitless attempts to try to get information on what was wrong with her she didn't see the point. She imagined her inquires would continue to be answered with silence. Law had informed her that he'd forbidden his crew from speaking with her, but after him calling her up on deck like that, maybe that will change, she hoped.

* * *

_"take heart in gentle love,"_


	14. Revelation: Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece.

__

_Nami looked on from a distance as she slowly peeled one of the mikans she had stolen from her mother's grove, watching from within the safety of the forest as the villagers buried Bellmere._

_She was crouched at first, but her wounded legs soon began to ache and tremble, urging her to slump into the soggy grass, and soil the clean jeans that she's only just put on._

_The town's people crowded atop a knoll which ascended towards the coastline, overlooking Cocoyashi village below. It had a brilliant view of the ocean beyond it. Peaceful and calm, a good place for Bellmere to watch over the village in the future._

_'She will like it here, eventually.' Nami thought herself. Though, until that fateful day, Bellmere's grave would have to witness the tyranny of Arlong and his Fishmen Pirates as they terrorised the town and bribed the marines that her mother was once a proud member of._

_'If only all the marines were as admirable as you.'_

_Nami'd learned the hard way that perhaps the entire world was corrupt, save for a handful of people and her crew with their happy-go-lucky captain, and his childish sense of justice. The world may have been a different place if he'd listened to his grandfather's wishes and followed in his footsteps. She knew him too well though to know that that could never be Luffy's fate. He was too reckless and wild-hearted to be oppressed by the rules and regulations of the government. He simply wanted to be happy, and free._

_"Free," she lamented. That word was as painful for her now, in that moment, as it was ten years go. Tears pricked at her eyes, blurring her vision. She was already at her emotional limit for what she had witnessed that day, but the knowledge of her own predicament was a heavier burden to bear. Although she was stronger and wiser now, and could possibly make a difference to the village, she was also smart enough to know that she should not intervene, and brave enough to abstain._

_But, she felt that she still needed to apologise to Bellmere, to explain her actions and the precarious situation she was in._

_Nami moved deeper into the woodland, deciding to wait for the cover of night before she would approach her mother's grave and hope for redemption._

* * *

_Nami knew it was safe to visit Bellmere now that the tangerine sun was low on the horizon. All of the villagers, including Nojiko, were busy in the main street, confronting her younger self over her decision to join Arlong's crew._

_On the off chance that someone might peer up to the knoll, Nami approached as stealthily as she could, though hindered by her wounded legs._

_She opened one of the bottles of sake that, unbeknown to him, she had traded with Gen-san, then proceeded to pour the entire thing over the make-shift cross marking Bellmere's grave. Once it was empty she popped the cork on the second bottle and consumed a fair amount of its contents._

_Her brows furrowed and her face grew hot, "Bellmere-san," she sobbed, unable to hold back the tears or stop her lip from trembling. She then slumped to her knees, unable to speak._

_It took a few minutes for Nami to calm herself down. She said nothing and just simply sat there, hiccuping and listening to the gentle rustle from the trees, and trying to find the right words to say when she felt like her lips would obey her again. She had always known what tale she would tell her mother when she finally returned to Cocoyashi in the future, 'why is it so hard now?'_

_She_ __exhaled sharply_. "You were right, you know? I've lived on, and great things have happened. That's why I couldn't save you today," she paused to take a deep breath and another big gulp of the sake. "You died to give me and Nojiko a future, and if I had intervened then I would have jeopardised that future. All three of us might have been killed, and the village would never have been free of Arlong."_

_She paused for a moment to curse herself through gritted teeth, somehow that didn't sound like a good enough explanation, just some poor excuse for cowardice. But as she searched for a more meaningful vindication her chest and throat became tight, and all Nami could hear was her pulse thundering in her ears, and throbbing in her neck. 'You're not a coward. Just be honest.'_

_"I'm a pirate now. We both are, me and my younger self," she began with a rueful smile. "I've stolen things for as long as I can remember, so it can't be too much of a shock to you," she laughed, her sad smile turning to nostalgic smirk as she remembered Bellmere's reaction to her juvenile theft._

_"I'm with a very different sort of crew than the ten year old version of myself. Luffy, and everyone else, they're nothing like the Arlong Pirates," she explained as she stared out towards the ocean, calling forth all of her pleasant memories with them. "Our journey together has been a lot of fun, and has consisted of a great deal of danger. Every island we've visited we have discovered some injustice or grim fate, something which our captain simply couldn't turn a blind eye to."_

_The ache in Nami's legs urged her to change position then. She sat on the ground and crossed her legs, then continued while intermittently taking mouthfuls of the sake. "It didn't matter who a person was, or what they stood for, Luffy would always do what he thought was right ... We've helped so many people, and one day that pirate crew will defeat Arlong, and set all of us free."_

_She fell silent then and listened intensely, certain she'd heard something from within the nearby forest._

_After a few moments of not hearing another sound she finished the remainder of the sake and continued, "I know that sounds like a feeble excuse for what I did, or what I didn't do, but ..." she paused with a heavy sigh. Her guilt for not saving Bellmere was eating away at her, like a rat gnawing at her insides. Nothing she could say would ever sound good enough. And i_ __t pained her to know that the people of Cocoyashi have to endure years of pain and anguish because she did not act today,_ 'Please forgive me.'_

_"I am alive, and I'm happy with them. That's what you wanted for me, isn't it? They're the greatest people I could have ever hoped to have met, so thank you Bellmere-san, for your sacrifice and for your love." There wasn't any more Nami could say, she simply hoped that Bellmere could understand. She believed that she would in time, and only if Nami ever made it back to her own time, making her inaction worthwhile._

Another rustle sounded from the trees, so Nami quickly grabbed the two empty bottles and fled before she knew her younger self would arrive and reveal her plan to Nojiko about buying the village from Arlong.

* * *

_**Presently ...** _

"Mugiwara-ya, stop!" Law shouted, just as his ally's fist collided with the fishman's skull, rendering him unconscious. He felt as though he had been kicked in the gut as he watched the fishman fall. If Nornir died from his injuries then there would be no telling if Nami-ya would ever make it back or not. "Let me examine him now!"

"If we kick his ass, won't she come back?" Luffy asked, coolly. His hot temper seemingly extinguished along with the fishman.

Luffy lazily stepped aside so Law could get to Nornir. "Usopp told me that when that kid was knocked out on Dressrosa all the toys turned back to people, so the same thing will happen when I beat him up!" he exclaimed gleefully.

"We can't take any chances, Mugiwara-ya. And she obviously hasn't come back from you knocking him out!" he argued through gritted teeth, trying to examine the fishman's head. "She's not on this time-plane so we don't want him to die from his injuries. We don't know what could happen to her then!"

"So she's not going to come if we beat him up?" Luffy pleaded.

Law's expression soured, and he sighed in disbelief at Luffy's last question, "Just help me get him to the infirmary." he said, rolling his eyes and positioning himself to carefully lift the fishman up.

* * *

Once in the infirmary, Law supported Nornir's head and lay the fishman on the empty bed, carefully rolling him onto his side so he could examine his injury.

What should have been a layer of smooth glaucous skin covering his skull was a dark, uneven, crimson pulp. Law could count three fissures along his scalp, each of them oozing blood that was showing no sign of stopping, and one of them had a small shard of scarlet and white bone that was peeking through his skin.

"Is he going to die?" Luffy asked in a flat tone.

Law looked over at Luffy then to see that his ally was clutching his right elbow, his right fist was clenched tight, and his eyes were cast in the opposite direction, staring intensely. "Hand me that tray over there," he said, pointing the silver tray at the end of the bed. The one still full of equipment from when he attended to Nami-ya earlier. "He has an open fracture, but it isn't depressed; which is good,"

"Here," Luffy muttered, offering the silver tray to Law, looking a little more at ease but still showing signs of remorse.

"Thanks," Law said as he took the tray. His thoughts instantly drifted to Nami when he looked at the tray and saw the splinter of debris that he had removed from her wounded thigh.

As if someone had replaced the blood in his veins with molten hot rock, Law began to burn up with anger. 'All of this is his fault, and here I am ensuring that the bastard doesn't die.' He didn't regret not preventing it from happening, but that didn't mean that Law couldn't be pissed off about it. Still, he couldn't allow himself to be distracted from what needed to be done, and he certainly didn't want to let his anger get the better of him. With a heavy sigh and a metallic clatter, Law bitterly placed the tray in the empty space on the bed, then picked up a scalpel and enveloped them in his _room_.

"Possible contusion," he began, feeling a wave of satisfaction as he sliced the fishman's scalp and peeled it back to get a better look at his cranium. "and maybe a subarachnoid haemorrhage, but I'll have to open up his skull to be sure," Law declared, leaning back and meeting Luffy's worried eyes.

His ally began to fidget for a moment, then removed his gaze from Law before he spoke again, "Can you wake him up?"

"I can't wake him," Law relented, "but he should come round of his own accord providing I ensure that he doesn't obtain a secondary brain injury," he said leaning forward again to continue his work.

"I won't hit him again!" Luffy assured him in a resolute tone.

"I know. A secondary injury is due to the inflammation of the brain. So if that happens and his brain is confined by the cranial cavity-"

"What do you mean?" Luffy interjected.

"I'm going to cut his head in half and leave him like that until he comes around." Law explained, trying to hide the sadistic smirk that was determined to shape his lips. The fishman did deserve it after all.

"That'll kill him." The Strawhat's captain said in an incredulous tone, screwing up his face as he spoke.

"Not when I use my Devil Fruit," Law reassured him. "It's just a matter of time before he wakes, Mugiwara-ya. All we can do is wait."

* * *

_**Aforetime ...** _

Nami awoke with a start. Her body snapped into an upright position in her bed, her hand clutching at her chest as she battled to regain the breath her nightmare had stolen from her. 'Just a dream,' she reassured herself as she scanned her surroundings, eyes jumping quickly from the cabinets and their instruments to the machine monitoring her life, reminding her of her unfavourable situation and location.

'Calm down,' she admonished as she lowered herself to lay flat in her cot. 'Law said that stress was bad for your condition.' Though no matter how much she tried to remind herself of that, Nami couldn't tear her thoughts away from her dream-memory. She'd just subconsciously relived the entire event, from the ten year old girl witnessing her mother's murder, to the woman she was now, the one fleeing from that island maybe a few weeks ago in a leaky fishing boat.

The quickening pace of her heart rate monitor urged her to close her eyes and try to focus her mind else where. She listened to the mysterious sounds that vibrated through the hull, to the distant thud of footsteps from out along one of the corridors. When that didn't work she tried to concentrate on the sound of the whispering air that was being pumped into the submarine's atmosphere through a generator and its beating fans. But, no matter what she tried to focus on, Nami could still hear _his_ words echoing through her mind.

"Die for you pathetic love." Arlong had laughed as he pulled the trigger, ending her mother's life.

That line terrified her. Not his words, but the very sound of his voice and the look in his eyes. They shone with belligerence, and though he may have laughed as he spoke, his tone was harsh and cruel.

The monitor beside her began to bleep more frequently, and though she knew she needed to slow it down, her mind raced faster as if to keep time with the quickening beep. There was something more to Arlong that she had been oblivious to, that she couldn't understand and was too panicked to even notice as a child, but she knew it now as his words repeated over and over in head; there was a malevolence within him that extended to all of humankind, and not just to Bellmere and Cocoyashi. Arlong was a walking bitter enmity, and Nami was sure that had Luffy not stopped him then Arlong would have eventually taken his war against the humans to a world wide campaign.

It made her sick with worry to know that he was at large at that very moment, that'd it'd be years before he was brought to justice. 'I did the right thing,' she quickly told herself to wash away the guilt of her mothers murder, and the cruelty she knew the people of her village were enduring at that very moment. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and one that seemed to be stuck at the back of her throat.

She just hoped that one day this new burden would lessen, and the horrible taste it left in her mouth would disappear.

'Relax,' she told herself, reaching up to rest the palm of her hand on her head and calm her mind.

Nami noticed then that she was slick with sweat. Her fringe was sticking to her forehead, and her gown was clinging to her body. She was drenched right through, as if she had been dragged into her dream memory and had had to swim that final stretch of ocean after the fishing boat she escaped Cocoyashi in had sunk.

Had Nornir's power affected her again? She hoped that it had. Surely that would mean that maybe something had happened in the future, or that there may still be a way for her to go back. That glimmer of hope helped her racing heart begin to slow, and with a heavy sigh Nami pushed herself to sit up in her bed.

'I need a shower,' she acknowledged as she peeled the pale blue gown from off her chest. Nami frowned as she noticed the patches of moisture. Their placement confirmed that she had not been dragged into a dream memory by Nornir, and that she'd simply had a nightmare.

Nami took a deep breath, and brought her hand to the tip of her nose just as she felt start to tingle with dolour. "Hurry up, Lu-" she began out loud, but cut herself off when the door to the infirmary opened.

"So, you're awake," Law's smoky voice sounded with hint surprise as he stepped inside the room.

'I am' she said silently, watching as his unfamiliar slender figure approached her sick bed. 'I'll never get used to the differences between them, even if they are slight.'

"You're elevated heart rate sounded an alarm. I need to top up your medi-"

"You don't," Nami snapped, quickly removing the cardiac sensor from off her index finger, then jumping off the bed to put some distance between herself, Law and her medication.

Her treatment always left her feeling drowsy and lethargic and Nami didn't want to enter her nightmares again. She was tired of reliving the memories they brought forth. Nami felt as though they was beginning to twist and contort her mind. As a child she chose to battle against the life she had, but now, to sit back and wait for others to fight for her, it wasn't who she was. Her situation ignited a hopelessness within her, a destructive force that was beginning to set aflame to all that she was, and incensing her temperament further. She was becoming afraid that if she even managed to return to the future then she would not be the same person she was when she left that time.

If it were an option, Nami was sure that she'd choose to never sleep again.

"I'm fine now," she assured him while pulling her gown away from her body. "I'm calm."

Law regarded for a moment. His gilded eyes seemed to inspect every inch of her as she stood before him.

Though his visual examination was fleeting, it was just long enough to make her feel uncomfortable under his scrutinising gaze, forcing her to turn her face from him and stare at the tiled floor.

"If you say so," Law muttered, then turned and began to head towards the door. "My crew are preparing dinner, if you're hungry." he continued as he walked away.

"I'm not," she said, but quickly relented, "but I haven't eaten anything since ..." she paused as she tried to remember. The last thing she could recall eating were some mikans as watched her mothers burial from the safety of trees, and even they did not fill her up. Nami began to appreciating how difficult it would have been for Bellmere to survive on that diet, though she surely ate more regularly than Nami had of late.

"It's be a thirty minutes," Law said, bringing her attention away from her thoughts.

"Okay, I just need to take a shower first."

"Come up to the mess hall when you're done," he said, then quickly closed the door behind him as he left.

'The mess hall? Surely patients should eat in their room!' Nami thought to herself, but then quickly remembered how Law had invited her up on deck. If she was well enough for that then he must have deemed that she was well enough to leave the infirmary for meals, too.

Nami wasn't really sure if Law was the type of man to honour the fact that, as he put it, he had received payment for her treatment, and would see her safely through his care. Perhaps the Law she knew in the future was, but there was nothing to say that this Law was that man yet.

In fact, she was quite sure that he wasn't that man yet. Nami had caught glimpses of him that reminded her of the future Law she knew, but this Law was definitely more mysterious, and truly suited his moniker of 'The Dark Doctor'. There was still something about him that just didn't sit right with her. He was either over interested or nonchalant, and something didn't quite add up. 'Just what is his game?'

The way Nami could see it was that she was either going to be his prisoner until she had fully recovered, or he was just going to abandon her the moment she became too much of an inconvenience, and neither of those futures sounded appealing to her. She wasn't prepared to sit idly by and wait to see what would happen to her.

'I'll escape on the next island.'

* * *

Trafalgar Law headed in the opposite direction to the mess hall, ensuring that his shoes sounded at an inordinate volume as he walked the metal floor of the corridor. Once he had gotten to what he considered to be a substantial distance from his operatory he stepped into a small nook out of sight, flexed his devil fruit ability, and then waited for his patient to leave her room.

Whilst he waited, Law tried to think more about the mission at hand, and not about his doubts for their current guest. Much to his relief, Law didn't have to distract himself for too long before she emerged.

She stepped out wearing the cleaned clothes they'd found her in. Law ducked behind a bulkhead when she looked in his direction, then peeked his head out again when he heard her begin to move.

'Not following the sound of my footsteps then,' Law thought to himself as he observed her walking away from him, noting how unsteady she was on feet, 'a side effect of her medication.' He followed her at a distance, using his ability to silently transport himself behind her, but always ensuring to keep her in view.

Law studied her closely, and started to become more and more concerned the nearer she got to the dining area. Not once did seem lost as she navigated the passageways of his submarine. At every bulkhead she seemed to know exactly which way to turn, and she easily found the location of the ladder leading to the last stretch of her journey. It was at this point that he decided to intercept her, and he transported himself to the deck above.

"You had no trouble finding your way, I trust?" he asked, startling her, and knowing full well that she found it easily.

"No," she said tensely, tucking a few of her curly orange tendrils behind her ear.

Law couldn't be sure if her nervousness was due to his sudden appearance, but he presumed it was more to do with the fact that she knew where she was going, and had possibly just given herself away. 'Jora's submarine is similar to this one-'

"All seafaring vessels are the same," she continued, interrupting his thoughts, "the galley is always aft."

Law didn't bother to disguise his glower at her attempt to cover her tracks. "Have you spent a lot of time at sea?"

"A fair bit," she said, stumbling slightly as she spoke.

Law seized the opportunity and grabbed her by the waist with both hands to steady her. "One of the side effects of your medication is impaired motor control and lack of coordination," he revealed, carefully positioning himself next to her while moving his hands along the waistband of her jeans, checking that she hadn't concealed a stolen scalpel there. "It could also be the reason you have no appetite."

"Thanks," she said in a tone that was as brittle as her posture. "Any idea how much longer I'll have to take it?"

"That depends on you," he informed her, ushering her towards the mess hall with him right arm still around her back.

"Great."

Law could literally feel her slump with frustration as she said it, but before he could say anymore on the matter, his attention was snatched away by the sudden silence that befell the mess hall.

To his annoyance, all of his crew who were present there had given up on eating their meal in favour of staring at him as he escorted in his patient. A simple glare from their captain scared the majority of them back into eating again, but it was only the sound of Shachi's fork clanging on the table after he dropped it that could snap him out of his trance like stare.

"Penguin, get her a plate." Law ordered as he helped her to the table.

"Yes, captain," he flustered, then jumped up straight away and rushed into the kitchen.

The men on his crew were easy to stir. Shachi and Penguin were both excited to have a woman aboard, and had openly objected to Law's order for them to not speak with her.

"Pen," Law whispered as the man returned, motioning for the him to come closer, "I need you to interact with her now. I want to see how she responds."

Penguin nodded, then took her food over to her.

"Thank you. Penguin, wasn't it?" she asked as she smiled innocently at him.

Law saw a blush dust the cheeks his crew mate, then Penguin sat down opposite her, nodding bashfully.

'Doflamingo has done well choosing her,' Law thought to himself, watching as she easily entered into small talk with his crew.

She was sly, all happy smiles and good manners. He couldn't shake the idea that she was playing the 'damsel in distress'. It wouldn't have surprised him if Doflamingo had inflicted her injuries himself to ensure that she got aboard his ship. 'But surely he would have found some other ingenious way to get here?' he thought, doubting himself.

It didn't take long for a few other members of his crew to gather around her table. They seemed captivated by her, but there was little about a woman that did not enrapture them.

He remembered then of how he went to her room earlier, and how her gown had clung to her body, revealing the contours that lay beneath it. And again, though he had other priorities at the time, in hindsight he could appreciate her curves as he secretly searched her, moments ago. She was attractive, and he couldn't deny it, but surely Doffy would have known that it takes more than a pretty face to tempt him. He had too much at stake to be distracted by her enough to let his guard down and allow her to get close to him. His end goal was too important, and he certainly wasn't ready for Doflamingo to be weary of him just yet.

Law went to kitchen to grab a plate of onigiri, but decided against eating with his crew and their guest.

"Shachi," he called. "How long until we reach Drum Island?"

"About a week, captain."

"We're headed for Drum?" his patient asked in a surprised tone, quickly turning to face Law.

"Yes, Lami," he said, voicing her name harshly; it pained him to say it. "Do you know it?" he asked in the hope that she did. Law was still toying with the idea of abandoning her on the next island. In fact, he was leaning heavily towards it, so it would be fortunate if she knew the island at all.

"Not really," she said, quickly turning her attention back to her food, "but I've heard a lot of bad things about its King."

"Like what, Lami?" Shachi eagerly asked.

She shuffled a little in her seat. "I heard that he keeps all of the island's doctors to himself. That there're a lot of sick people there."

"I'll just have to keep my skills hidden then." Law said apathetically so he could analyse her reaction.

To his surprise, her head snapped in his direction in order to glare at him, though her expression soon softened to one that seemed more like disappointment than disgust. He was taken a back by both. Law didn't expect that an agent of Doflamingo would be too bothered if he helped sick people or not.

'More to consider,' he admitted to himself. She did still need medical attention and it seemed certain that she wouldn't get any on Drum Island. 'If she's not working for Joker...'

"Report to me later, Penguin," he ordered as he turned to leave the mess hall in favour of finding somewhere quieter to eat and think. "I'll be in my quarters."

"Aye, captain."

* * *

 

_"for she waits in the wings,"_


End file.
